Improving Your Brain to Get Ahead in Your Career

Unless you’re a professional athlete, competing in the workplace is more about strengthening your brain than your body. And, unfortunately, there’s a misconception in some HR departments that an aging workforce needs to be replenished with a new batch of freshly graduated Logans and Ashleys.

But there are three simple truths that can shed light on the benefits of a “mature” workforce.

• Usually, with age comes wisdom. A more experienced staff brings the knowledge of past failures and successes, client relationships, and loyalty.
• It’s cheaper to maintain and train an existing team than hire new employees.
• The brain is “plastic.” We now know that it can be trained and improved at any age.

Assuming HR is still insistent in bringing in new blood, you’ll need to take matters into your own hands to keep your brain sharp and competitive—whether it’s for this job or something better. Here’s how.

Read more. The act of reading has been found to create lasting effects in the regions of the brain responsible for language receptivity. What you read isn’t necessarily as important as the act itself.

Enroll in brain training. Intensive 1-on-1 brain training has been shown to significantly improve cognitive skills and cognitive abilities in clients who completed LearningRx programs.

Learn something new. Learn to juggle, take up a new hobby, or sign up for a class at your local college or online. Learning something new has been shown to improve the brain and possibly fight age-related cognitive decline.

Meditate. Recent studies indicate that meditation may help slow the progression of age-related cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Exercise. Exercise has numerous benefits to the brain including delaying the onset of age-related cognitive disorders.

Keeping your brain at peak performance is your greatest asset when it comes to keeping your job or moving on to something better. Don’t be afraid to compete against the younger minds coming out of college. They may be eager and fresh-faced, but you’re a seasoned pro with the brain to prove it. Consider any improvements to your brain to be an investment in your future; not just in the workplace, but also in retirement. You’ll be glad you kept your mind sharp when you’re sitting on the beach in Maui doing a crossword puzzle!

To learn more about 1-on-1 brain training, visit https://www.learningrx.com/who-we-help/adults/.