The #1 Habit to Break to Improve Your Memory

Even though the popularity of books like Atomic Habits or habit-stacking routines have been revolutionary for people to execute healthier and happier lifestyles, doing the same routines over and over can get you stuck in a rut. Worse, that rut could actually be damaging your cognitive function and impair your memory. Yes, it’s true! Getting too stuck in your same routine over and over can be a detriment to your cognitive health — and research backs it up. Here’s why.

The #1 Habit to Break to Improve Your Memory

Of course, some habits, like diet and exercise, can help improve your health and reduce your risk of chronic disease. But one of the best things you can do for your brain is to break out of the need to constantly set habits and avoid getting stuck in the same routine.

For instance, one study found that diversifying your daily activities and changing up what you do can actually result in higher overall cognitive functioning.

The study evaluated participant data from the National Survey of Daily Experiences and found that participants with diversity in seven common daily activities, including paid work, time with children, leisure, physical activities and volunteering, ended up having higher scores for cognitive and executive functioning. Episodic memory was also better for those with higher activity diversity.

Even if you find yourself changing up what happens day-to-day, sometimes you can get stuck in the same routines in other areas of your life, like eating the same meals or scrolling too much on your phone. Research shows a balanced, diverse diet leads to better mental health and superior cognitive function. In fact, shifting your food choices actually results in increased activity in your posterior cingulate cortex, a part of the brain in charge of your cognitive and behavioral processes.

Changing your routine can seem intimidating, especially after you have worked so hard to set a healthier routine and lifestyle. However, you can still mix up your routine in clever ways and maintain your healthy habits at the same time. For example, switch up your routine in the kitchen and meal prep different foods each week, or challenge yourself to make new healthy recipes. Try different types of movement and workouts, and give yourself the opportunity to learn new hobbies. This may be a great opportunity to finally learn that language or take guitar lessons!

3 Reasons This is the Best Way to Improve Memory

It Improves Mental Stimulation

Changing up your routine requires you to keep your brain active, which in turn helps to exercise your brain. Trying new things and switching what you do (even something as simple as making a new recipe or learning a new skill) is associated with higher levels of cognitive ability throughout life. It’s so powerful that challenging the brain with new activities early in life may help protect the brain against cognitive losses in old age.

It Helps Rewire Your Brain

If you’re doing the same things over and over, you’re not giving your body and your mind the opportunity to be challenged. Exercising your mind daily and giving it new opportunities to solve new problems helps to keep your brain stimulated and challenges neuroplasticity. This is the brain’s ability to rewire itself on the cellular level, which may improve memory.

It Makes You Feel Happier

Not only does varying your routine improve your cognitive health, but you’ll also feel happy about it. Researchers in one study found that people tend to be happier when they depart from their daily routines and give themselves new places and new experiences to explore. Even the smallest changes in your physical routine may make you happier and benefit your brain. 

Other Tips for Improving Memory

In addition to breaking up your routine, these healthy habits can also improve your memory:

• Get quality sleep: Given all of the ways getting a good night’s sleep benefits your health, getting your zzz’s may seem like a no-brainer. But high-quality sleep can do wonders for your cognition. For example, quality sleep helps regulate your circadian rhythm, balances hormones, and improves decision making, emotional interpretation and concentration.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables: Research finds that eating a diet rich in antioxidant-packed foods such as fruits and vegetables may help slow down memory decline and aging.
• Move your body: Yes, physical movement is just as important as diet and sleep when it comes to your cognitive health. Because getting a variety of exercise is good for cognition (like a mix of aerobic and resistance training), physical activity can be a great way to switch up your routine in your daily life, benefiting your brain in multiple aspects.
• Chew your food: This may seem a little silly, but it’s true. Eating requires you to use your chewing muscles and actually functions as exercise for your head and, evidently, your brain. So while having that protein-packed smoothie is great, be sure to also incorporate opportunities to chew those fibrous fruits and vegetables and activate those muscles.

The Bottom Line

Even though daily habits, like eating a balanced diet and regular exercise, can help us stay healthy, getting stuck in the same routines isn’t always helpful for cognitive health. Research finds that changing up your routine — even if it’s as simple as trying new recipes or challenging yourself to do new workouts — results in a higher overall cognitive function. Diverse activities can help stimulate your brain, keep it active, and can even make you feel happier. So find ways throughout your day-to-day life to try new things and change up your usual routines. Your brain will thank you for it!