Want to get smarter? Here are 20+ research-backed tips

As the days get busier and the workload ramps up, sometimes it can feel like your brain is a pink fluffy ball of cotton where memories go to die and an attention span is something other people have. Never fear. Just as you can build muscles at the gym, you can train your brain, working on skills like memory, focus, and creativity.

Neuroscientists have studied ways to learn more quickly and retain what you learn. Meanwhile, Yale researcher and Fast Company contributor Zorana Ivcevic Pringle explains knowing how to harness your emotions can fuel creativity.

And if the hacks don’t cut it? Get some sleep and (if you can) go on a vacation. Even the smartest people can’t function without rest. —Shalene Gupta