What are the best things to do to keep your brain sharp?

I tend to do more of what I am good at and less of what I’m not good at.

For example: I’m not good with directions, so if the person I am with is better at it, I default to letting them take care of where to go. My brain switches off and I just blindly follow.

I realized that my habit of pushing off whatever did not come easy to me meant I’d never be able to do it - not just because it was hard but because on top of that I never bothered to practice.

What I try to do every day is take full responsibility for the things my brain doesn’t want to do. I grab the map and figure out how to get there, even if it’s difficult, counterintuitive and frustrating. Even if other people (pretty much anyone) can do it a lot faster and smoother than I can.

It’s really hard but it is a way to ensure certain parts of my brain don’t completely atrophy from never doing the things I wasn’t inclined to do.