Instead of New Year's Resolutions, neuroplasticity allows us to reprogram our brains. Here are 7 hacks for doing this in 2026.
It’s a New Year’s resolution unlike any other. Instead of promising yourself to quit smoking or go to gym more often, a simpler commitment is to rewire your brain. Because you can.
The brain is a muscle that adapts and shifts as we go through life. It learns, it forgets, rebuilds itself and forms new habits and behaviours along the way.
It’s called neuroplasticity, and research from Harvard Medical School suggested that the brain continuously remodels based on what we practise and repeat. It’s good news, cause it means we are not stuck with the wiring we have.
Psychologist and Medical doctor Dr Jonathan Redelinghuys said that neuroplasticity allows for change at any age.
“The brain is always listening. Whatever you practise regularly becomes who you are neurologically, not just behaviourally,” he said.
“A few changes here and there, and the brain rewires itself in the background. New habits create new pathways and new thinking. Start small to effect sticky changes in your life.”
Use the hand you never use
Swap out your dominant hand for your non-dominant hand. You can effect a simple change like brushing your teeth or eating with the opposite hand that you’re used to.
This activity forces the brain to pay attention and rethink how it moves.
Research by Verywell Health suggested that switching hands activates underused motor pathways and encourages new neural growth.
Redelinghuys said it is a small exercise with surprising benefits.
“Your brain dislikes uncertainty, so when you change things up it starts building new pathways to make the task easier next time, “ he said.
Upskill yourself
Learn something new in 2026. How about sewing, baking, pottery or a new language? It can be anything that you have not mastered before.
Harvard University research indicates that learning something unfamiliar can spark neural growth and strengthen connectivity in your brain.
The bigger the challenge, the more rewiring the brain has to do. Dr Redelinghuys said that novelty is rocket fuel for the mind.
“The brain expands to accommodate a new skill, and with repetition it becomes faster and more efficient.”
Senses making sense
Instead of relying on your sight, next time you eat a meal, close your eyes and pay attention to the texture and smell of your food.
Play a guessing game with yourself: place objects in a little bag and try to identify what they are just by feeling them.
Research from Frontiers in Neuroscience noted that when one sense is reduced, the others sharpen through sensory remapping.
Dr Redelinghuys said doing this kind of exercise teaches awareness and how to be present in the moment.
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One new learning a day
Short and repeated learning sessions are more effective than long periods of study, according to some researchers.
And this is not about academics alone; it’s about learning something new every day.
Sites like Dictionary.com offer a word a day for learning, for example.
Dr Redelinghuys said gentle learning and repetition win the race because the consistency of learning stimulates the growth of neural pathways.
Change up your device
Change your wallpaper, your phone cover or move your apps, switch keyboards or change device language for a day or two.
Psychiatric Times research suggested that disrupting digital routine forces the brain to remap its navigation and disrupt predictable patterns.
Dr Redelinghuys added that everyday tech habits are powerful training tools. He said a simple act like changing your phone layout changes the way that the brain must think, not just react, and that alone can spark rewiring.
Walk yourself through challenges
Try going for a walk next time you need to contemplate a solution to a work problem or a challenge in your life.
While you are atthe gym, think about what you will be cooking for dinner. It’s about multitasking and using movement and cognition, said Dr Redelinghuys.
“When the body works, and the mind works at the same time, neural pathways strengthen in parallel,” he said.
You can even balance on one foot while contemplating a strategy for a client.
Research from U Turn Parkinsons noted that dual-tasking improves attention switching, coordination, and working memory.
Routine changes
Simple changes can have a significant impact. When you change your routine, you encourage different neural mapping, said Dr Redelinghuys.
“Take a different route to work, eat something new for breakfast or sit somewhere else at a table,” he said. Even morning routine swaps could work. Instead of eating, showering, shaving and brushing your teeth in a specific order, change it up, and try doing that for a few days, and then changing it all again.
Dr Redelinghuys said whenever movement is combined with cognition, it creates a potent tool to change your own wiring.
“Small changes move mountains. Each adjustment demands that the brain adapt, and over time, those adaptations become permanent,” he said.
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