In this time when daily life is so busy and so full of decisions, who wouldn’t want to be able to increase their thinking speed in order to keep on top of everything?

Training the brain to think faster is not only useful for making decisions faster and with less of a fuss, it also helps you build professional and social networks by remembering people’s names and positions. It can help prevent mental decline due to aging as well. And, by learning to think faster, you also increase cognitive skills, essentially making you smarter.

So, how can you train your brain to be a quicker thinker?

Practice memory games

Waiters may forgo using a pen and paper to write down orders by memorizing them instead. Professors may memorize their lesson plans. A public speaker may memorize a speech instead of reading from cue cards. Whatever your position, you can find ways to incorporate memorization training into your job. This will not only save you time, but it will allow you to shine in your position as you’ll appear extra confident and competent.

Learn a new skill

Whenever you attempt to master a new skill, your brain forms new connections. The more diverse these connections, the more flexible the brain becomes and the easier it will be for you to learn something new. Dancing, paining, languages, instruments, games, and other skills are all great ways to begin developing broader networks in the brain that help increase the speed and efficacy of cognitive function.

Believe in yourself

Having a mindset that allows you to believe that you can accomplish something like increasing your thinking speed is an important factor in whether or not you will be able to do it. As the old saying goes, “Mind over matter.”

Eat right

A balanced diet not only affects the body, it also affects the mind. Fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, enough water, and a healthy dose of “brain foods” such as blueberries, walnuts and dark chocolate, can all make for a healthier and better-functioning brain.

Exercise

There’s an important connection between exercise and brain function. Exercise keeps your body fit and healthy. It improves circulation, including the circulation of fresh blood and oxygen to the brain. Activities that include hand-eye coordination can be especially beneficial to brain activity. Novelist and marathon runner Haruki Murakami adapts a rigorous schedule of physical activity while working on a novel. Besides stimulating brain activity, physical conditioning also allows him to sit comfortably for hours while he writes.

Get enough sleep

There’s virtually no substitute for a good night’s sleep, not even a strong cup of coffee. If you think of the brain as a muscle, you know that muscles have to rest. Without resting, what happens to your muscles? They become fatigued and aren’t able to perform as well. The brain also needs time to recuperate and rest. Give it the rest it deserves, and it will be able to work hard for you.

Make more friends

The wider and more diverse your social network, the stronger your neural connections are. People who have few friends mostly from the same background who share the same ideology have less active brain activity than those with a more diverse set of friends.

Thinking faster and smarter are great skills to practice and lead to increased confidence as well as improved overall health.