Exercise Your Brain

Sitting at a desk for hours at a time can cause your productivity to decline. When you get tired and your creativity starts flagging at work, it might be time to take a break. Instead of surfing the web or heading for the coffeepot or the snack machine, try something completely different: play a game.

You could play a round of Numbrix, which runs weekly in Parade magazine and daily on their website. The game goes from beginner level (Vanilla) to expert (Pistachio), so you can work your way up. You don’t need any math skills, it’s completely logic based.

You could try the games at Happy Neuron, too, which says its memory, attention, language and visual-spatial skills games are “fun and scientifically developed and validated to challenge your brain and keep it in top gear at all times.” Many of the games are available to paying members only, but there are some that are free. My favorite game is Split Words. The only downside is waiting for the game to load while an ad runs for 10 seconds, which is a pretty fair tradeoff.

Giving your brain a break from the usual and looking at things differently could give you the boost you need to get back to the work at hand feeling refreshed. One caution, though, don’t get so caught up playing games that you lose track of time. If you are someone who can’t just play one game and move on, set a timer for your break.

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!