Write an article based on this "Do regular mental exercise. Play video games. Take up a hobby."
Like a muscle in your body, you will need to work on problem solving if you want to improve its strength and functioning over time. In other words, you will need to "exercise" regularly. Studies show that things like brain games can make you more mentally limber. There are any number of games or activities you can try. Word games work great. In a game like "Split Words," for example, you have to match word fragments to form words under a given theme like "philosophy." In the game, "Tower of Babel," you will need to memorize and then match words in a foreign language to the proper picture. Mathematical games will also put your problem solving to the test. Whether it be number or word problems, you will have to activate the parts of your brain that analyze information. For instance: "James is half as old now as he will be when he is 60 years older than he was six years before he was half as old as he is now. How old will James be when his age is twice what it was 10 years after he was half his current age?" Video games have been portrayed as "intellectually lazy" for a long time. However, new research shows that playing video games can improve parts of thinking like spatial perception, reasoning, and memory. Not all games are created equal, however. While first-person shooter games can improve your spatial reasoning, they are not as effective as others at developing problem solving skills. Play something that will force you to think strategically or analytically. Try a puzzle game like Tetris. Or, perhaps you would rather prefer a role-playing or strategy game. In that case, something like "Civilization" or "Sim-City" might suit you better. A hobby is another way that you can continue to improve your problem solving skills. Pick something that either involves active problem solving or activates appropriate parts of your brain. For example, start to learn a foreign language. Language functions in both hemispheres of the brain, so learning one will activate areas that control analysis as well as reasoning and problem solving. This is where problem solving Web design, software programming, jigsaw puzzles, Sudoku, and chess are also hobbies that will force you to think strategically and systematically. Any of these will help you improve your overall problem solving.