How to Give Yourself a Competitive Mental Edge in Business

You can have a lineup of eager investors waiting to knock on your door. You can have the germ of an industry-disrupting idea in your back pocket. You can have all the latest technology at your disposal to help you through building out and maintaining your fledgling business. You can have it all – but still, the best technology you have working for you is your brain.

What truly sets you apart in the competitive world of entrepreneurial business is your ability to think nimbly, creatively and clearly. If you want to gain a competitive edge, you have to put the work into honing your critical and creative thinking.

How do you do that? Here are a few ingenious ways to sharpen your mental acuity for an upper hand in business.

Let Curiosity Guide Your Evening Reading

You would be surprised how many people read books only to reinforce the ideas they already hold or learn things they already know. That’s no way to expand your mind. Instead, let curiosity guide your evening reading.

Throughout the day, try to view the world in terms of “why?” and “how.”For instance, when you drive down a four-lane highway on your morning commute, ask yourself, “why four lanes?” and “how were these massive public works projects designed and executed?” After you move through your day with curiosity, attempt to answer your questions in your evening reading. You may be surprised by the kinds of relevant insights you learn.

Ditch the Coffee and Start the Day with Reishi Tea

“You are what you eat” is an adage you hear all the time, and there’s certainly truth to it. Your brain is like any other organ, in need of minerals, nutrients, antioxidants, etc.

In addition to optimizing your diet for brain health (including Omega-3-rich fish and dark, leafy greens), swap your morning coffee for reishi tea. Reishi mushrooms have been used for centuries in East Asian cultures to promote brain health and sharpness, and studies are emerging that may support these claims. It’s rich in all the things your brain loves: minerals, nutrients and antioxidants. It’s also easy to procure nowadays – you can buy reishi mushroom powder online in easy-to-dose sticks.

Start Swimming More

According to scientists, aerobic exercise may be the best kind of fitness for your brain. In addition to keeping you physically fit, it can also boost cognition and brain function.

There are several ways to exercise aerobically. You can bike, run, walk, swim or even play squash with a buddy. For the purposes of this list, though, let’s go with swimming. Because swimming is low-impact and solitary, it also gives you the opportunity to think about big-picture ideas as you do laps. In other words, it’s the perfect marriage between dedicated ideation time and brain-boosting aerobic time.

These are just a few of the different approaches to keeping your brain sharp. You can also learn a new language (which can exercise your brain and help you gain access to different international markets). Download problem-solving puzzle apps to keep your critical skills firing on all cylinders. Or make a habit of surrounding yourself with people who challenge you intellectually. For best results, combine all these tips.