Memory, creativity, and focus are three skills that will give you longevity in your career, demonstrate your innovation and show that you are a hard worker. All the qualities you value in other co-workers and skills that hiring managers love to see.

Memory

A good memory is very helpful in learning a new language, gaining more education or even just being able to remember names at a business conference. Simple memory games can do a lot to improve memory health. For example, if you do not know the cell phone number of your significant other, mother or best-friend without opening up your cell phone, that may be a good place to start. Look up their numbers several times per day, study them, and call without hitting speed dial. Put them in your brain, and keep them there until you can dial without even thinking about the actual numbers.

If you know all their numbers from memory, then try to remember every person that you spoke to in one day, in order. Then, at the end of the day write a brief (one sentence) chronological note (from memory) regarding the conversations you had. At the end of the week, test yourself by writing down (again) who you talked to and what you talked about. Does it match up with your original list?

Memory can be improved by any number of exercises you can think up. There are memory tests online, too - just find something and stick to it. Do it every day for a week, and you will notice your memory is starting to improve.

Creativity

Creativity is what put a man on the moon, developed the Internet and shaped our world to what it is today. It requires a very diligent effort to think out of the box. To spur creativity during my day, I make it a point to fix one object in my life. If I notice that there is something that could use a little innovation, no matter how large or small, I commit myself to fixing the problem on that day. It gets me thinking and learning about how to do things (that maybe) I’d never tried before.

A second way to spur creativity is to read. I know it sounds simple but reading fiction spurs creativity. It gets the same imagination flowing that you had as a child. Keeping you youthful in mind and spirit is the only way to keep imagination in your life. Go find your favorite novel as a child and read it. If you don’t have a favorite, see what your children are reading and read it with them. It is useful to keep imagination alive in adults. We all value what children create and how inventive they can be. The same tools are crucial in the corporate world and, if you’re good, will get you paid a hefty sum.

Focus

Focus is the one key that unlocks all other skills and will improve your work life. While memory is enhanced by focus, creativity is enriched and sustained only through focus. Being able to dedicate more focus to any task is important - whether employed or searching for employment, there is always a need for motivated, focused, and hardworking individuals.

To improve focus is amazingly simple. Take 5-10 minutes a day to close your eyes and listen to your breathing. Breathe in through your nose, feel the air fill your lungs, and then breathe out. Only pay attention to your breathing; whenever you stray, resume paying attention to your breathing. This breathing meditation will improve your focus and help you to stay on task. Do this every day for a week and you will notice a huge difference in your ability to focus.

Remember that before cell phones were invented, almost everyone could remember their primary phone numbers; before TV, more imagination was required for after dinner entertainment, and focus was hardly an issue until there were millions of different ring tones and alerts going off in your life. Finding ways to make yourself better at the little things in life will help you get hired or get a promotion and all three of the areas mentioned can be yours with regular work. Memory can be increased easily, creativity brings more rewarding work, and focus requires you to pay attention.

No matter if you’re prepping for a job interview, going for a promotion or just want to improve your own work, these three skills will help. The job search is difficult enough, but if your mental acuity is sharpened from the above exercises, there is little chance you’ll be in the same unemployed or underemployed situation for long. If you improve yourself, your career will ultimately improve.

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