I was at the library last week when I struck up a conversation with a man who must have been in his mid-eighties. What caught my attention wasn’t his age but his energy.
He was debating Brexit implications with the librarian, pulling references from three different books he’d spread across the table, and his eyes had that particular brightness you see in twenty-somethings discovering the world for the first time.
Walking home, I thought about the contrast with another neighbor, fifteen years younger, who seems mentally checked out already. Same complaints every day. Same routines. Same conversations about how things used to be better.
After decades watching power dynamics in negotiation rooms, I’ve learned that staying mentally sharp isn’t about intelligence or education.
The sharpest minds I encountered weren’t always the most credentialed. They were the ones who maintained specific daily practices that kept their cognitive engines running, regardless of age.
The research backs this up. Neuroscientists have identified that certain daily habits can maintain and even improve cognitive function well into our eighties and beyond. The key word here is “daily.” Not occasional. Not when you feel like it. Daily.
Having observed both the mentally vibrant and the prematurely foggy throughout my career and retirement, I’ve identified eight habits that separate those who stay sharp from those who fade.
These aren’t revolutionary discoveries. They’re simple practices that compound over time.
1) They read something challenging every morning
Not the news. Not social media. Something that makes them think.
Every morning with my coffee, before I scan the headlines, I spend thirty minutes with a history book. Sometimes it’s military strategy. Sometimes it’s economic collapse. Always something that forces me to connect dots and question assumptions.
The mentally sharp octogenarians I know all have this habit. One reads poetry in Latin. Another tackles physics papers despite being a retired accountant. The subject doesn’t matter. What matters is the mental stretch first thing in the morning when your brain is fresh.
Most people wake up and immediately consume easy content. Passive scrolling. Television. The cognitive equivalent of eating sugar for breakfast. Your brain, like your body, performs based on how you fuel it each morning.
2) They maintain a learning project
There’s a difference between consuming information and actively learning something new. The sharp ones always have a project.
I’m currently deep into understanding the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Not for any practical reason. Just because the power dynamics fascinate me and I want to understand how such a massive structure gradually crumbled.
This isn’t casual reading. I’m taking notes, drawing timelines, questioning sources.
A former colleague, now 82, is learning Python programming. Not to get a job. Just to understand how modern technology works. Another is mastering sourdough baking with the precision of a chemist.
The project gives your brain a framework for organizing new information. It creates connections between what you’re learning and what you already know. Without an active project, information just washes over you without sticking.
3) They engage in real conversations
Not small talk. Not complaints. Real exchanges of ideas where both people might learn something.
The cognitively sharp seek out people who challenge them. They ask follow-up questions. They admit when they don’t understand something. They change their minds when presented with better evidence.
In my negotiation days, I noticed that the sharpest operators were the ones who genuinely listened, processed, and responded thoughtfully rather than just waiting for their turn to speak. That skill becomes even more crucial as we age.
Most people over 60 fall into conversational ruts. Same topics. Same opinions. Same social circles. The brain needs intellectual friction to stay sharp, and that comes from engaging with different perspectives.
4) They write or create something daily
Writing forces clarity of thought in a way nothing else does. You can’t hide fuzzy thinking when you have to put words on paper.
Since retirement, writing has become my primary mental exercise. Not just these articles, but private journals where I work through complex ideas. The act of translating thoughts into coherent sentences reveals gaps in logic I wouldn’t otherwise notice.
The sharp elderly people I observe all have some creative output. One paints. Another builds model ships with obsessive attention to historical accuracy.
A third writes letters to the editor that are remarkably well-argued, whether you agree with them or not.
Creation requires synthesis. It forces your brain to pull together disparate pieces of information and produce something new. Consumption alone won’t keep you sharp.
5) They maintain physical routines that require coordination
The brain-body connection is real. Complex physical movements keep neural pathways active.
My morning walk isn’t just exercise. I vary the route, notice architectural details, count different types of birds. Sometimes I walk backwards for a block (when no one’s watching). These small coordination challenges keep the brain engaged with the body.
The sharpest octogenarians often have surprisingly complex physical routines.
Gardening with specific techniques. Tai chi with precise movements. Even something as simple as cooking elaborate meals from memory. The key is that the activity requires both physical movement and mental engagement.
6) They embrace technology selectively
They don’t reject technology, but they don’t let it do all the thinking either.
I use technology as a tool, not a crutch.
GPS is helpful, but I still study maps to understand spatial relationships. Calculators are convenient, but I do mental math to keep those circuits active. Search engines provide information, but I still memorize key facts and figures.
The mentally sharp elderly have found a balance.
They use technology to enhance their capabilities without surrendering their cognitive functions to it. They might video chat with grandchildren but still write physical thank you notes. They might use a tablet for reading but still work crosswords with a pencil.
7) They protect focused thinking time
In a world of constant interruption, they carve out periods for deep thought.
Every afternoon, I have what I call my “thinking hour.” No phone. No interruptions. Just me and whatever problem or idea I’m wrestling with. Sometimes I pace. Sometimes I sit still. Always, I resist the urge to distract myself when the thinking gets difficult.
This habit becomes more crucial with age because our processing speed naturally slows. We need uninterrupted time to form complex thoughts and connections. The sharp ones understand this and protect their thinking time fiercely.
8) They question their own assumptions regularly
Mental flexibility is like physical flexibility. Use it or lose it.
Once a week, I deliberately examine something I believe to be true and look for evidence against it. This isn’t comfortable.
After decades of accumulated opinions, challenging your own worldview feels threatening. But it’s precisely this discomfort that keeps the mind nimble.
The mentally declining tend to become more rigid in their thinking. Everything confirms what they already believe. New information gets rejected if it doesn’t fit their existing framework. The sharp ones remain curious about being wrong.
Closing thoughts
Staying mentally sharp into your eighties isn’t about having the right genes or the best education. It’s about daily practices that keep your brain active, challenged, and growing.
The tragedy isn’t that some people lose mental sharpness as they age. The tragedy is that many give up these habits right when they have the most time to pursue them.
Retirement should be when we double down on intellectual engagement, not when we retreat into comfort.
Pick one habit. Start tomorrow. Make it as non-negotiable as brushing your teeth. Your future self will thank you for keeping the lights on upstairs when so many others have let them dim.
