Add a social element. Explaining what you've learned forces deeper processing than any other technique.
Phase 2 — Build · Adding a social element
This month, add a social element to your cognitive challenge. Teach someone one thing you've learned — a family member, friend, or anyone willing to listen. The "protégé effect" is real: explaining something forces deeper processing than any other learning technique.
Community challenge this month: Share what you've learned in a 60-second voice message or short video in the forum. Hearing what others are learning is cognitively engaging in itself.
In Week 3, go further — teach a complete concept, not just a single fact. Prepare a 5-minute informal lesson and deliver it.
Your challenge must be genuinely new to you, it must stay hard (level up every 2–3 weeks), and you engage actively — not passively. Discomfort is the signal it's working.
Combining movement with a mental challenge makes your brain work significantly harder than either activity alone. Use one protocol per session and rotate through them. This month uses Phase 2 protocols (highlighted below). The Month 3 main page references these directly — this is where the strength-session protocols come from.
| Phase | Protocol | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Count backwards by 7s | Start at 200. Restart if you lose track — the restart is the challenge. |
| Phase 2 | Alternating categories | Animal, city, animal, city — one per step. Two separate streams simultaneously. |
| Phase 3 | Verbal fluency burst | Name as many words starting with one letter as possible in 60 seconds. Change letter each minute. |
| Phase 4 | 1-back memory task | Say the word you named one turn ago. Directly builds working memory. |
| Phase | Protocol | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Count + category per rep | Count your reps AND name one country per rep. Two separate tasks at once. |
| Phase 2 | Reverse recitation | Recite the alphabet backwards during each set. More demanding than it sounds. |
| Phase 3 | Colour-word interference | Someone calls a colour name written in a different ink — say the ink colour, not the word. |
| Phase 4 | Story construction | Build a continuous story — one word per rep. Must make grammatical sense. |
| Phase | Protocol | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Eyes-closed + memory recall | Single-leg balance while reciting your schedule for tomorrow or your shopping list. |
| Phase 2 | Counting + balance | Stand on one leg and count backwards by 3s. Switch legs every 20 seconds. |
| Phase 3 | Spatial memory navigation | Walk a new route entirely from memory — no GPS. One of the most powerful reserve builders. |
| Phase 4 | Demanding conversation on unstable surface | Hold a genuinely challenging conversation (debate, analysis) while on a balance pad or foam. |
| Phase | Protocol | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Day-in-reverse recall | Recall everything you did today in reverse order, as completely as possible. |
| Phase 2 | Learning consolidation | Recall 5 things you learned or noticed this week. Speak them aloud. |
| Phase 3 | Mindful body scan + breath counting | Dual attention: scan your body from feet upward AND count each breath simultaneously. |
| Phase 4 | Complex future planning | Plan a complex task or project in full detail during stretching. No writing — all mental. |
reMYnd is a prevention program, not a clinical treatment. For concerns about your cognitive health, please speak with your GP. © reMYnd by Naomi Ferstera — remynd.com.au