Benefits of Doodling: When you find yourself drifting off at a meeting, try doodling. It helps you stay awake and can increase your ability to remember information by nearly 30%. Best: Draw something upside down. That wakes up the right side of the brain, which is responsible for energy and creativity. (Thom Lobe, MD, founder and medical director, Beneveda Medical Group.)

Cinnamon Can Help You Stay Focused:
It speeds the rate at which the brain processes visual cues. Chew cinnamon- flavored gum, suck on a cinnamon candy, or have some cinnamon tea before doing something that requires a quick response. Other options are to sprinkle one teaspoon on cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, or in your coffee or smoothie. (Daniel G. Amem, MD)

Most Plastic Water Bottles are Not Recycled:
Less than 6% of plastic bottles in the US are recycled despite consumer efforts to be environmentally friendly. (LastBeachCleanup.org.)

Handwriting Yields Best Learning and Memory: Handwriting – not typing - has shown that the brains of adults and children, while taking a writing-intensive exam, showed that the brain is much more active when people are writing by hand compared to when they’re using a keyboard. Researchers say pressing a pen to paper activates the senses, creates contact between different parts of the brain, and opens the brain to better learning and memory. (Study at: Norwegian University of Science and Technology)