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We all wish that we had four-hour lunch breaks, but this is real life where at best, you’ve got ten minutes to spare after you’ve crammed down a sandwich. With that in mind, finding a – quick – way to recharge your brain can make all the difference! Avoid the temptation of social media, forget the water cooler chat, let’s give those mental muscles a proper stretch. I’ve dug up a bunch of games that will tickle each area of your brain in turn. Whether you want to sharpen your focus, boost memory, or even improve your math skills, there should be something to suit you.
Casino Favorites
A night out at the casino is great fun, but not the kind of thing you can fit in at midday on a Wednesday. With that in mind, a few minutes at an online casino can give you all of the brain benefits in a fraction of the time. As well as offering online slots real money games, Slots.lv also has a strong selection of table games. Playing a few rounds of blackjack is a great way to improve your mental arithmetic, while a hand or two of poker can improve your strategic thinking skills. If your brain could use a rest afterwards then finding out what there is to offer in the slots catalogue is fun – and requires a bit less concentration!
Word Games
Wordle might be the word game everyone’s talking about, especially since the New York Times purchased the rights to it for more than a million dollars. But this brilliantly simple and fiendishly clever game is more than just a trend – it’s a perfect puzzle to fire up your brain during a lunch break. With just six guesses to find a five-letter word, Wordle combines logic, memory, and a healthy dash of educated guessing to deliver a fun, quick challenge. Each attempt gives you hints (highlighted letters that reveal whether your guess was close or far off) that force you to think critically and strategically about each word you try. Best of all, there’s only one Wordle per day, so you won’t accidentally fall into a ‘just one more game’ spiral!
Sudoku and Number Puzzles
Wordle bringing you out in a cold sweat? Some of us just feel more at home with numbers over letters! If you fit into this cohort then Sudoku is an absolute classic. It’s simple enough to play on your phone, but if you’ve ever attempted a hard or expert puzzle, you’ll know it’s anything but mindless! The goal is to fill in each 9×9 grid with numbers 1 through 9, without repeating any number in any row, column, or box. This makes Sudoku the ultimate exercise in logic and patience (something we could all do with polishing up on). If you’re really pressed for time? There are also some pretty clever mini-sudoku puzzles.
Memory Games
Let’s face it, whose memory doesn’t need a boost? Probably for this very reason there are – lots – of games that are designed to help improve them. Games like Lumosity and Peak are the most famous examples. These two use brain science to create mini-games that test and improve short-term memory, focus, and even processing speed. There are lots of different mini-games within them, but a popular one is a memory-matching card game. You know the sort of thing, you flip over cards to match pairs, trying to keep track of where each card is as you go. The best part about these apps? They let you track your progress over time, so you can see exactly how much sharper your mind is getting from your daily sessions! Plus, for the competitiveness amongst us, you can see how you stack up against other app users. Before long you’ll have unfinished business with a memory mastermind from the other side of the planet!
Trivia and Quiz Games
If your folks are anything like mine then there’s often a family feud whenever Trivial Pursuit comes out at Christmas time. If you too are banned from this board game then there are other ways to get your trivia game fix! Quiz games like Trivia Crack or HQ Trivia could be just what you need. Both are fantastic at delivering a quick burst of questions across multiple categories – from history to pop culture – so you’ll be learning and testing all different areas of your knowledge in one foul swoop. Plus, the competitive element makes each game that bit more thrilling, whether you’re playing against friends or random opponents. You might be surprised at just how much you know (or indeed don’t) by the end of your break!
Brain Training Apps
Lastly, if you’re after a more structured workout, brain training apps like Elevate offer exercises tailored to specific skills. They appeal to the scientists among us, who like to see the data on our brain training! From language and math to focus and problem-solving, there are few areas you can’t tweak. With quick, science-backed exercises, you can choose to train in areas you want to improve, setting personal goals and tracking your progress. Apps like these are ideal if you like the idea of a well-rounded mental workout on your break.
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