Although this activity can be quite challenging at first, it creates excellent mental fitness and visualisation exercise that will improve your memory. Keep memorising information in this way and you’ll soon experience greater focus too. 

For safekeeping, take a quick snapshot of your Memory Palace drawing. 

Then, wipe it out and draw the next strongest floor plan on your list. Keep going for as long as you wish and return to this exercise frequently. 

2. The Alphabet Exercise

It’s easy to write out the alphabet, right? 

Again, not so fast. 

Try writing it out by skipping all the even numbered letters. In other words, write:

A, C, E, G… and so on. 

Set a timer and see how fast you can get through the entire alphabet. You’ll be surprised by how long it takes you. 

As an alternative exercise, see how long you take to write the alphabet backwards. Don’t peak or cheat as you write it out. Work it out mentally as you write it out. 

The beauty of using a whiteboard for this exercise is that you can quickly correct any mistakes, though for best results the first few times, consider letting all of those mistakes stand. It’s interesting to get a snapshot of your initial outing and track your progress over time. 

As a final variation, see if you can write out the alphabet backwards and skip every other letter. 

Z, X, V, T… and so on. This version is extra challenging. 

3. Vertical Blind Contour Drawing

Normally, blind contour drawing is done with a sketch pad in our lap. You draw a profile, portrait or landscape without looking at the paper or lifting your writing implement off the page. 

You can also complete blind contour drawing on a whiteboard by setting up a vase, fruit or some other object to your right or left. Or, you can ask a friend to sit to your right or left and draw their facial profile or entire figure. 

Once you put the marker to the whiteboard, you are not to lift it from the surface or look at your drawing until it’s complete. 

Why does this activity make for such great brain exercise? 

The answer is simple: 

You’re challenging every fiber of your brain while using over 150 muscles in your hand and arm, not to mention all the muscles in your eyes. 

In other words, the exercise feels like raw brain power, but it’s actually a combination of your mental cognition with your physical dexterity. 

You’ll be pleasantly surprised by what comes out of your marker and the focus and concentration this simple exercise creates. 

The best part? 

You can also take a quick photo of your creation and then instantly wipe it away. 

Think these brain exercises are too fun and simple to help improve your memory, focus and concentration? Here are 9 more brain exercises that take the challenge to the next level. 

Have fun!

Guest Author: Dr. A. Metivier