Break out of your routine. Ever gone through an entire day and not remembered what you did at work or maybe even how you got there? Your brain is just so used to doing the same thing that you hardly have to think about it. And that's the problem. You need to keep thinking. Eat somewhere different for lunch, change your office hours, walk backward down the sidewalk to get to your car. Do anything you can to shake things up and take your mind off standby mode.

Use all of your senses. Most people allow their memories to rely heavily on sight. They remember people by their looks, recognize food by the picture on the menu board and identify clothing by color. A consequence of this is that the other senses can become neglected. Thus, you can't recognize things by touch, taste or smell anymore, making them easier to forget. Take the time to really soak in every experience. For example, memorize the sounds and smells of a coffeeshop, such as the bad jazz music or the lemon soap used to clean the floor. Close your eyes if this helps.

Stay social. Your brain works less hard the more isolated you become. Work at home and you can forget how to negotiate office politics. Stay in for lunch and you won't get to experience that new diner or be updated on your friend's new relationship. You need to keep the information feed coming and practice giving people your full attention. This helps your mind stay sharp and focused. If you can't go out, call a friend.

Do puzzles that challenge you. Working on, say, a crossword, allows you to think differently than you would in your normal day-to-day life. Again, this gets your brain working in new ways and helps it break out of its rut. Just don't do the same type of puzzle at the same time every day, or it's just back to the old routine of routine.