1/ Drink Water – If you want to be sharp and ready for the day ahead, drink a couple of glasses of water in the first 30-60 minutes after waking. Sleeping involves up to eight hours without any liquid intake, so it stands to reason that your body will be a bit sluggish and dehydrated first thing and that this will have a negative impact on brain function. It’s also important to regularly drink water throughout the day to keep brain and body cells lubricated. Aim for 1.5 to 2 litres in total.

2/ Eat Breakfast – Don’t take a shortcut in the morning by skipping breakfast. Studies have linked eating breakfast to improved short-term memory and attention span. So start the day with a healthy breakfast. But don't eat too much. A high-calorie breakfast may hinder concentration.

3/ Use Brain Training Apps – You can download hundreds of different apps on your computer or smartphone that help you to hone some of your most significant mental skills. Many of these are available for free, and others provide some features for free, but ask for payment to unlock all of the activities. No matter which you choose, set aside 10 or 15 minutes a day to working on your memory, maths or vocabulary skills.

4/ Take a Nap – Far from being lazy, napping is scientifically proven to help improve concentration. It can also boost productivity when you reach a brainpower plateau.

Studies on napping suggest that it increases reaction speed and helps with learning, provided naps are no longer than 20 minutes. In contrast, longer slumbers allow you to fall into a deep sleep. This could leave you feeling disorientated and groggy when you wake up.

5/ Play Games – Although it might sound too good to be true, playing a favourite game on your smartphone or computer can be good for your brain. Studies show that it improves neuroplasticity (the muscle part of the brain), provided you don’t devote all of your waking hours to gaming. When contrasted with some other forms of recreation (such as mindlessly flicking through TV channels), games keep your mind engaged and encourage you to process more new information.

6/ Read Books – If you’ve ever felt like you’re actually experiencing the events described in a novel, there are solid neuroscientific explanations for this. Specifically, MRI scans of the brain show that when you become immersed in a fictional story, your brain reacts as though you were actually living through the events of the protagonist’s lives. As a consequence, reading is proven to enhance your ability to empathise with others. Likewise, it broadens your vocabulary and helps you to exercise the creative side of your brain.

7/ Drink Green Tea – If you rely on caffeine for a bit of a cognitive boost, consider switching to green tea instead. As well as boosting your metabolic rate and potentially helping you to lose weight (if you need to), green tea provides you with a powerful amino acid called l-theanine. Neurological tests show that this amino acid increases alpha brain wave activity. Consequently, this helps you to concentrate without getting jittery or anxious.

8/ Meditate – If you practice mindfulness, you’ll be pleased to hear that meditative activities help make you a better thinker. They train you to concentrate for longer periods, block out irrelevant information, and exercise more control over your responses to stressful situations. Just 10-15 minutes of meditation per day can create measurable changes in your brain’s structure in just a few short weeks.

9/ Exercise Regularly – Multiple research studies show that people who are physically active are less likely to experience a decline in their mental function and have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. These benefits are a result of increased blood flow to your brain during exercise. It also tends to counter some of the natural reduction in brain connections that occur during aging, in effect reversing some of the problems. Aim to exercise several times per week for 30–60 minutes.

10/ Eat brain food – We all know that a good, clean diet will improve all areas of our health, but there are many studies and an increasing amount of evidence that certain foods slow mental decline. Topping the list of brain-boosting food is any food high in Omega 3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, such as salmon and oily fish, which has been linked to a lower risk of dementia and improve focus and memory. Other great brain foods include green leafy vegetables, berries, avocado and nuts and seeds.