Benefit: Refresh your attention and interrupt familiar routines by noticing something from a new angle.

Our routines are useful: they save time and effort. But occasionally doing something in a different way can invite fresh attention and curiosity. These are small experiments, not tests of intelligence or memory.

Brain bit: Novelty makes the brain pay attention. A small change asks it to notice details it would normally filter out — hello, fresh perspective.

Try it: See the familiar, again

2 minutes. Choose an everyday object near you: a cup, a key, a leaf or a shoe. Look at it as if you have never seen it before. Notice five details: a line, a shadow, a texture, a tiny mark, a reflection. Give it a new name.

Try it: A different route. On a familiar, safe walk, take a different path or pause at a place you usually pass. Notice three things you had not seen before. Stay aware of traffic, access and your surroundings.

Try it: Change the perspective. Look at a room from a different seat or standing position. What becomes visible? What disappears? What new story could you tell about this place?

Notice: Did changing one small thing change what you paid attention to?

Benefit: Practise spontaneity, creative thinking and building on other people’s ideas.

The idea: Improvisation is not about being funny or clever. It is about paying attention, accepting what is happening and adding something of your own. “Yes, and…” is a way of building on an idea rather than shutting it down.

Brain bit: You’re listening, predicting and updating your next move in real time. That gives attention, flexible thinking and impulse-control skills a little workout — no punchline required.

Try it: Yes, And

With a partner · 3–5 minutes. One person begins with an imaginary offer: “We have just discovered a tiny door in this tree.” The other responds by accepting the idea and adding something: “Yes, and there is a little light shining through it.” Keep alternating, adding one detail at a time. Let the story become surprising.

On your own: Write down a playful opening sentence. Add ten “and…” sentences without editing or judging them.

Notice: What happens when you stop searching for the perfect idea and start building with what is already there?

Try it: One-word story

With two or more people · 5 minutes. Tell a story together, one word at a time. Keep the rhythm moving. Listen carefully, because every word changes what can happen next. The story can be wonderfully ridiculous.

Try it: The object has a secret life. Pick an ordinary object. Invent three unexpected uses for it, then let the object introduce itself as a character. What does it want? What is it afraid of? What adventure is it waiting for?

Remember: “Yes, and…” is a creative game, not an instruction to agree to anything that feels uncomfortable or unsafe. You can always pause, pass or change the game.

Explore more improv games on The Walking Guru →

Benefit: Give your imagination room to make connections without the pressure of getting things right.

Creativity is not reserved for artists. It can begin with a small invitation to combine, invent, doodle or play without worrying about the result.

Brain bit: Making something means retrieving ideas, mixing them and testing new combinations. Letting go of the “perfect” result can free up room to explore more possibilities.

Try it: Three words, one story

3 minutes. Choose three unrelated words — for example, “umbrella”, “moon” and “pancake”. Make up a tiny story that includes all three. Say it aloud, write it down or draw it as three little scenes.

Try it: The one-minute doodle

1 minute. Put pen to paper and draw continuously for sixty seconds. Do not erase or correct. Turn the result into a creature, a landscape or a map of an imaginary place. Give it a title.

Try it: A character from a feeling

Choose a feeling — excitement, uncertainty, calm, impatience or delight. Imagine it as a character. How does it walk? What does its voice sound like? What would it say if it could speak for one minute? You can write, draw or act it out.

Notice: What did you make when you gave yourself permission not to get it right?

Benefit: Use gentle movement and sensory attention to reconnect with your surroundings and invite curiosity.

Movement can be a simple way to change the scene, refresh attention and reconnect with the world around you. You do not need to walk fast or far. Choose a pace and route that feel comfortable for you.

Brain bit: Moving through the world blends balance, body signals, vision and spatial awareness. Add noticing sounds, colours and textures, and you’re giving attention several interesting things to coordinate.

Try it: A five-senses walk

Walk or sit somewhere safe. Notice five things you can see, four sounds, three physical sensations, two scents and one thing you appreciate about the moment. Adapt the exercise to your senses and abilities; there is no need to force any sensation.

Try it: Walk with a question

Take a short walk with a gentle question in mind: “What am I curious about today?” Do not force an answer. Notice what catches your attention along the way. If walking is not accessible or comfortable, try this while sitting by a window or looking at a picture of nature.

Discover Walking Intervention →

Benefit: Practise attentive listening, empathy and shared creativity with another person.

Play can help people pay attention to one another. These gentle activities invite listening and shared imagination. Choose a partner who is happy to take part.

Brain bit: Conversation is a two-way dance: your brain tracks words, tone, timing and facial cues, then adjusts your response. Listening is active brainwork, not waiting for your turn.

Try it: The listening mirror

With a partner · 4 minutes. Person A speaks for one minute about something they enjoy noticing — a place, a hobby, a memory or an idea. Person B listens without interrupting. Then B reflects back one thing they heard and asks, “What else?” Swap roles.

Try it: Copy and transform. One person makes a slow, simple movement. The other mirrors it. Then the second person changes one small detail and the first follows. Keep exchanging the lead. This can be done seated and with small movements.

Try it: Build a world. One person names a place — “a library under the sea”. Each person adds one detail in turn. Together, invent the sounds, inhabitants, rules and surprises of that world.

Notice: What helped you feel heard? What happened when you followed another person’s idea?

What happens when you gently change the ingredients of your evening? Try the ideas below for a week and see whether you notice a difference by day five or seven. Keep what feels good; leave the rest.

1. Set the scene

• Alcohol: Try alcohol-free evenings for a week. Notice what, if anything, changes in your sleep or how you feel the next morning.
• Caffeine: Experiment with skipping your morning coffee, choosing decaf, or trying a caffeine-free alternative. Matcha does contain caffeine, so it may not be the best swap if you are trying a lower-caffeine week.
• Eat to support your day: Enjoy balanced meals and include carbohydrates during the day when you need energy. In the evening, try a lighter, easy-to-digest meal a few hours before bed — perhaps a vegetable soup, creamy vegetable purée or a not-too-thick semolina porridge with a little butter and light sweetness. Adjust the timing and portion to what suits you.
• Turn down the volume: Choose quieter sounds and softer lighting in the evening. Dim bright lights and give your ears a break from loud noise.
• Choose your evening viewing: Try reading instead of TV. If you really want to watch something, choose gentle, undemanding viewing rather than something intense or stimulating.

2. Now for the fun part: winding down

A little movement first. If it feels comfortable, try a gentle Cobra Pose for 30 seconds to one minute, then rest in Child’s Pose for about one minute. Keep the movements easy and pain-free; skip either pose if it does not feel right for your body.

Give your feet some attention. Massage them slowly with a little oil warmed between your palms. Sesame oil is a lovely option; jojoba or sweet almond oil are lighter alternatives. Castor oil is much thicker and stickier, so I’d save that for another use. Try a small skin patch first, then slip on light socks. If you get too warm during the night, simply take them off.

Pause and feel. Lie down comfortably. Rest one hand over your heart and the other on your belly. Notice the movement of your hands, your breathing and whatever sensations are there — without trying to change anything.

3. Make up a good-night story

Now let your imagination take over. Invent a gentle little story for yourself, or borrow this opening:

“Once upon a time, there was a little child who received a good-night story from a kind fairy every evening…”

Let the story unfold slowly, with places, people and images that feel safe or lovely to you. Think of it as giving your imagination something kind to wander with as you drift towards sleep. Will your sleeping mind pick up the story and play with it? Who knows — give it five to seven nights and see what you notice.

If you’d rather listen to someone else, try an English guided bedtime story on Yes Tales.

And if you fall asleep halfway through — perfect. No need to start again. Just keep sleeping.

Want a little more guidance?

If you’d like to train your relaxation muscle during the day or before bed, try a guided Yoga Nidra practice. Choose the length that fits your moment:

• 10 minutes: Ally Boothroyd — 10 Minute Guided Yoga Nidra
• 20 minutes: Lizzy Hill — Yoga Nidra 20 Minute Guided Meditation
• 30 minutes: Ally Boothroyd — 30 Minute Yoga Nidra for Deep Rest

No pressure, no perfect score. This is simply an invitation to experiment and discover what works for you.

Benefit: Bring people together, strengthen group connection and make playful learning part of everyday life.

CHOOSY activities can be adapted for friends, families, community groups, creative teams and workplaces. Keep the invitation light, explain that participation is optional and make room for different energy levels, languages and abilities.

Brain bit: Shared play asks us to read cues, take turns and adjust to other people. Those small moments of coordination help build the ingredients of trust and belonging — connection is something we practise.

For a group: begin with a short name-and-movement circle, then try a one-word story. Finish by asking each person what they noticed — not who was best.

For a team: try “Yes, and…” in pairs to build on a work-related idea. Then repeat the conversation using “What if…?” to invite alternatives. Keep the activity separate from performance evaluation.

For families and friends: invent a story together, make a silly advert for an ordinary object or take turns adding a new rule to an imaginary game.

If you would like to explore facilitated sessions, talks or group experiences, find out more about workshops and facilitation →

Benefit: Find fresh perspectives and turn stories on screen into prompts for reflection and conversation.

Some films entertain us. Others leave us with a question, unsettle an old assumption or make us see people and possibilities differently. Here is a CHOOSY starter watchlist, drawing on titles featured in the Possibility Management Possibility Films list. Their descriptions below are our short invitations to watch with curiosity — not a promise that a film will teach everyone the same lesson.

Films and series worth a look

• As It Is in Heaven — Finding your voice, listening deeply and discovering what can happen when a group begins to create together.
• Accepted — A funny nudge to question who gets to define learning — and what happens when you create the opportunity yourself.
• 12 Angry Men — A masterclass in listening, challenging assumptions and changing minds without raising your voice.
• The Truman Show — What if the world you take for granted is only one version of reality? A playful invitation to question the script.
• Arrival — Language shapes how we understand the world. What becomes possible when we learn to see through a different lens?
• Chocolat — What if one person’s courage to bring something new into a community changes the whole atmosphere?
• Back to the Future (I–III) — Curiosity, bold experiments and the delightful reminder that every choice can change the story.
• Coach Carter — Commitment, boundaries and the difference a team can make when people take responsibility together.
• Thelma & Louise — Friendship, freedom and the courage to question the roles we have been handed.
• Chernobyl (mini-series) — A gripping study of truth, responsibility and the human cost of denial.
• Stardust — A wonderfully strange adventure about growing into yourself, making choices and not simply doing what others expect.
• Kiss the Ground (documentary) — A thought-provoking look at soil, food systems and the possibility of restoring damaged ecosystems.

These titles are selected from the Possibility Films collection, which approaches films as prompts for reflection and group discussion. You may agree with its interpretations, disagree with them or discover something entirely your own. That is part of the point.

Watch with curiosity

• What did this story make me question?
• Whose point of view did I not expect to understand?
• What choice changed the direction of the story?
• What might I try differently in my own life?

Got a film or series that lit a little spark? Send Manuela your recommendation → Mention “CHOOSY film recommendation”.

Benefit: Understand how experience and practice relate to learning, while keeping the science in perspective.

There is a fascinating relationship between experience, learning and the brain. The brain remains capable of change throughout life. Learning and repeated practice can alter how we use and refine particular skills. This capacity is often called neuroplasticity.

Brain bit: When you practise, networks of brain cells communicate in patterns. With experience and repetition, those patterns can become more efficient or change. Plasticity is real — but it is not magic, and one game does not rewire your whole brain.

Improvisation asks us to listen, notice, respond, imagine and adapt in real time. Research into improv training is promising: some studies have found benefits related to divergent thinking, comfort with uncertainty and aspects of well-being. The evidence is still developing, and results depend on the people, activities and measures being studied.

What we can say responsibly: playful activities offer opportunities to practise skills such as creative idea generation, attention, communication and flexible responding. We cannot promise that one short game creates new neural connections, improves memory, prevents dementia or treats a health condition.

CHOOSY is an educational and creative resource, not a medical programme or a substitute for professional care. We aim to distinguish research findings from ideas, personal experience and questions worth exploring.

Curious about the connection between brain and improvisation? Explore Susa Cofiño’s work on neuroscience and improv — a fascinating perspective from the world of theatrical improvisation.

A question to carry with you: What might become possible if I approached this moment with a little more curiosity?