Learning something new daily
A short block each day on a skill you have never had before
Fifteen minutes on something unfamiliar: a language, an instrument, a craft, a recipe you have never cooked. Novelty is the whole point, so grinding through a skill you already own does not count. The reasoning is that new learning builds fresh connections between neurons, and that running the same routine for twenty years lets a brain coast. Free versions are everywhere, from library books to language apps and free lecture courses, though lessons and instruments obviously cost more. People who stick with it usually fix a slot, often the same fifteen minutes each morning, rather than waiting for spare time to appear.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Daniel AmenRecommends
Psychiatrist · Change Your Brain, Change Your Life
New learning has to be part of everyone's life, he argues, and repeating the same day forever is the thing to avoid. An instrument, a language, gardening, cooking, anything unfamiliar, fifteen minutes a day.
Source: Thirty Minute Mentors: Dr. Daniel Amen
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Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.