Last week, in the middle of volunteering for a St. Jude’s benefit, we had some downtime during the event. I sat there, smack in the middle of two other women, both of whom started playing with their handhelds (iphone and blackberry, respectively). They struck up a conversation about Sudoku, the Japanese game that entertains millions.
Because I myself do not have a particular interest in puzzles or games, I originally tuned out, lost in my own thoughts. But something about their discussion relating to ‘strategy’ and ‘benefits’ to the game piqued my interest in their conversation.
As Felicia, a district Human Resources Manager for Best Buy shared, ‘In recent years, I’ve taken a new interest in puzzles. After reading an article that spoke to exercising your brain to ensure sharp, lucidity at an older age, I committed to puzzles like never before’. Felicia captures opportunities to work her brain during downtime by simply whipping out her iphone and diving into one of her favorites.
While her original purpose was to ‘sharpen her saw’, she has reaped an unexpected benefit: forming good habits in business. How could that be? Well, let’s use these two examples:
Sudoku has caused Felicia to consider multiple options in all contexts, all of the time. Being satisfied with the first ‘solution’ is unacceptable for Felicia. So does Felicia now experience ‘analysis paralysis’ as a result of this learned behavior? Nope. Because when she looks at the alternatives, she does so quickly. You see, she trains herself to think fast, and does so by timing her results during these puzzle exercises.
Connect Four has helped Felicia to anticipate others’ intentions and next moves. How? Well, she approaches the game from a strategic standpoint, in that she is competing against the ‘mind’ of the computer. While it’s far simpler relative to a game such as chess, it has the benefit of conveniently fitting into a daily routine (again, she takes full advantage of those downtime slivers: on commutes, while standing in lines, or when waiting on a friend).
For decades I watched my folks enjoy crossword puzzles and the like. While I recognized the value to some extent, it always seemed like a hassle and that my quiet time could be better spent reading a book, exercising, meditating, or writing. While I still greatly value those activities, I have a new appreciation for the relevancy of puzzles to both my long-term brain health, as well as my current approaches to business and life.
What puzzles have you found to be highly beneficial in your world? Feel free to shoot me an email with your thoughts.
