Syed Arham November 01, 2023

Integrating Solitaire Into Daily Routine for Mental Exercise

How To Integrate Solitare Into Your Daily Routine

Let’s be honest: I didn’t have to find out that Solitaire had a ton of cognitive benefits to be convinced to play it. After all, for me Solitaire has been a fun little pastime that I try to integrate every day. Why? Well, it helps me kick off the day with an excellent mental warm-up, and the competitive side of me tries to beat my previous high scores as I do so

However, integrating Solitaire into my daily routine wasn’t that simple, especially since I tend to be a little lazy at managing my routine. That’s why I had to come up with a few checks and balances that really ended up being effective for me, and I’m hoping I can help you implement the same strategies so that you can do the same, as well.

The first step to integrating this amazing card game into your day-to-day life is to understand how it can benefit you. The cognitive benefits of Solitaire are heavily overlooked, and some of its advantages might even surprise you.

It’d be far too tedious to name every benefit you can reap from Solitaire play, but here are just a few prominent ones:

1. Improved Problem-Solving Skills

   The way Solitaire challenges you to strategize your moves and make optimal decisions dramatically improves the way you solve problems in your day-to-day lives. You’ll find yourself much more apt at figuring out solutions to things like – say, finding out the ideal route when you’re late for work because of traffic or perhaps coming up with a last-minute project for your kid's science fair.

2. Improved Memory And Concentration

   I’ve lost count of the number of studies I’ve come across that highlight Solitaire's ability to improve your memory and concentration. That makes sense as well – you’re supposed to remember and keep track of so many aspects while playing Solitaire that it’s bound to help give your grey matter a little boost. Even from a personal standpoint, I’ve noticed a huge boost in my memory since incorporating Solitaire into my routine. If anything, at least I don’t forget my keys as I leave home, and that should say something!

3. Patience And Discipline

   This probably isn’t something you’d expect to see on this list, but playing Solitaire actually does a great job of improving your patience and discipline. How’s that? Well, one of the core features of these card games is that when you find a good move, you often have to stop and look for a better one. If you don’t, you might end up making a suboptimal decision that costs you a lot of time or points on the table. Regularly playing Solitaire keeps you mindful of being patient, both in and out of the game.

Now that you know how amazing Solitaire can be for your mental health, let’s explore a few ways you can introduce it into your daily routine. For me, I had to implement a multi-faceted process to effectively place Solitaire into my routine. While everyone works differently, I’m sure the process I used can be helpful for you as well.

Setting Realistic Goals

The first thing I had to recognize was that I wouldn’t be able to immediately alter my daily routine to introduce this mental exercise into it – I had to start small and slowly work my way up to the healthy yet moderate level of mental exercise. So, when you’re planning on introducing Solitaire into your daily routine, try to start with just one game a day. Don’t set outrageously difficult goals as you start, or you’ll burn out quickly.

Choosing The Right Time Of Day

Finding out which time of day suited me best was one of the biggest steps in regularly playing Solitaire. Some parts of the day are simply too hectic, inconvenient, or put you in the wrong headspace. That begs the question, how do you find out which point of the day is perfect for you to slot in Solitaire as part of your routine?

The short answer is that it’s different for everyone, and the best way to find out what time works best for you is through trial and error. However, there are a few general keynotes you should keep in mind.

• Keep your daily Solitaire sessions in the early morning. It helps warm up your mind and lets you kick off your day properly.
• Make sure you’ve had a meal before indulging in your daily escape. After all, you want to make sure your brain has something to run its engine on before working.
• Try to set a small goal whenever you kick off your session, like setting a high score or beating the game within a certain time. It keeps you motivated and gives you a solid reason to play.

Balancing Solitaire Play With Other Activities

Finally, the last step to maximizing your Solitaire play is balancing it with other activities. You see, Solitaire does a great job of keeping your mind sharp, but you can’t skip out on physical activity just because of that. After all, a healthy body leads to a healthy mind as well.

That’s why I attempt to incorporate any physical exercise right after my Solitaire sessions. Whether it’s walking, jogging, or going to the gym, complementing Solitaire with physical exercise has always led to a great start to my day – both physically and mentally.

The last element of maximizing your daily Solitaire sessions is to track your progress based on the goals you’ve set for yourself. Looking at my scores from last month and then comparing them to my scores in the current month always makes me feel a tinge of pride, and it shows me that I’m actually making progress with Solitaire.

At the same time, you can also consider playing more advanced variants. Let’s say you’ve accomplished the last goal you’d set for yourself on Solitaire Klondike. Well, then, you can start testing the waters with more advanced games, such as FreeCell and Spider Solitaire.

The goal of introducing Solitaire into your daily routine is all about progressively improving and watching as you reap the benefits. Once you start effectively incorporating Solitaire into your routine, you’ll notice the advantages kicking in no time!