Here you have a few quick brain teasers to exercise your attention and your working memory–the ability to keep information in your mind while manipulating multiple units of information at the same time. Given them a try … they are not as easy as they may seem:
1. Say the days of the week backwards, then in alphabetical order. (Speak other languages? Try doing the same in Spanish, French, Mandarin…)
2. Say the months of the year in alphabetical order. Easy? Well, why don’t you try doing so backwards, in reverse alphabetical order.
3. Find the sum of your date of birth, mm/dd/yyyy. Want a tougher mind teaser? Do the same with your spouse’s or best friend’s date of birth (without looking it up…)
4. Name two objects for every letter in your first name. Work up to five objects, trying to use different items each time.