7 Mind-Building Games To Improve Your Professional Skills

By Indeed Editorial Team

March 24, 2021

Career success often requires ongoing training and development. While traditional career training usually includes conferences, educational courses and certification programs, there are other ways you can develop important skills. Memorization games are just one of the many ways you can improve your career skills. These games can be a fun way to develop your problem-solving, planning, multi-tasking and pattern recognition.

In this article, we will discuss the best memorization and mind-building games you can try to improve your professional skills.

Top 7 memorization games for improving workplace skills

Consider using one or several of these games to increase your career-related skills:

Crossword puzzles
Sudoku
Jigsaw puzzles
Chess
Board games
Computer games
List games

1. Crossword puzzles

Crossword puzzles can increase your verbal skills by enabling you to connect words with unique clues. As you continue to complete crossword puzzles, the time and accuracy of each one should improve. It is important to regularly increase the challenge of the puzzles you complete to test yourself.

2. Sudoku

Sudoku is a logic puzzle that uses numbers and requires you to identify patterns to complete the puzzle. It is a great way to exercise your mind and improve skills of logic, analysis, and pattern recognition. Sudoku also encourages you to think in a mathematical way, which is an important skill.

3. Jigsaw puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles use your short-term memory skills to fit differently shaped puzzle pieces together to form an image. These puzzles require you to complete a series of steps including color, shape and object recognition to complete the puzzle. Jigsaw puzzles also improve your concentration and focus. You need to identify each shape in relation to one another to finish the puzzle. Considering the details of each jigsaw piece requires your full attention so you can successfully match it to the whole puzzle.

4. Chess

Chess stimulates your brain while also exercising your creativity. Whereas many puzzles like crosswords and Sudoku primarily use the left side of the brain, which is the logic side, chess actively challenges the right side, which is responsible for creativity skills. Chess also expands problem-solving skills, as you need to consider solutions to ever-changing scenarios. When you first play chess, you will rely on memorizing the different moves each piece can make. As your skills expand, you will move to a more logical flow of thinking as you pull from previously planned strategies.

5. Board games

There are a variety of board games that can improve critical thinking and problem-solving skills. When you play board games with others, you can improve your communication and teamwork skills. Many board games allow you to use logic to solve multi-step challenges.

6. Computer games

Many computer games increase problem-solving skills and reaction times with timed trials and challenges. Computer games can also help to develop multi-tasking skills, as you need to complete minor tasks with a larger goal as the focus. The fast-paced movement of many video and computer games also requires players to think critically and make quick decisions.

7. List games

List games are challenges in which you build ideas off one foundational concept. You need to recall each item in the list to succeed in the game, which can improve your ability to focus. For example, you create a list of grocery items, starting with milk. The next person repeats milk and adds bread, then the next person lists milk, bread and a new item, and so on. As you create new and unique lists, you’ll use creativity to name different items that relate to the overall idea. You can make the game more difficult by adding rules such as only using items that begin with the same letter.

Tips for using memorization games to better your career

Follow these tips to ensure you successfully improve your professional skills while playing memorization games:

Change the game you play: To challenge your memorization skills, it is best to change the game you play. Changing game types makes you adjust to the new challenge. If a game or puzzle becomes easier with time, find a new challenge.
Play a game every day: Continually playing games helps you remain current in your skills. Try to play a game for at least 15 minutes a day to ensure you’re increasing your knowledge.
Actively monitor your progress: It’s useful to track your progress of skill development. Track how long you take to complete a crossword or Sudoku puzzle and then monitor your progress. Reviewing your improvement can help you increase your motivation to keep practicing.

Whether you want to develop creativity or critical-thinking skills, you can do so by playing games. Memorization games challenge the cognitive abilities of the brain while also strengthening them. You can develop short- and long-term memory abilities, time management, problem-solving and multi-tasking, all while playing games that are also entertaining and sociable.