About these guides
Exercises on Prefrontal Gym are short, often just a few minutes per round. But questions like "how do I practise usefully?", "what do my results mean?" and "when should I level up?" are hard to answer inside the exercise itself. So we wrote them up as standalone guides that you can read when you need them.
All guides are written from the actual rules of the exercises on this site. When we mention research, we describe it only in general, careful terms, without invented data or exaggerated claims. If you spot an error, please let us know through the contact page.
Not sure where to start?
- Just put your phone down and cannot settle? Read the focus reset after short videos, then play a Schulte round.
- About to study or work? Follow the 5-minute pre-study warm-up.
- Been practising a while and want to understand your results? Read how to read your Schulte results and N-back levels explained.
- Want to keep it up long term? Read build a daily practice habit.
- Back-to-back meetings? Read 5-minute focus reset between meetings.
Focus and habits: start here
5-minute focus reset between meetings
Use one bounded round between calls, then attach that focus to a single meeting goal.
Focus reset after short videos
Spent too long on short videos and cannot settle back into work? This 10-minute routine helps you step out of the feed: interrupt, move, write the smallest step, play one round, then start, plus ways to slip in less often.
The 5-minute pre-study warm-up
A five-minute routine you can follow before studying: clear your space, write the first step, play one short round, set a timer and begin. For students, exam takers and anyone who needs deep work.
Build a daily practice habit
How to turn a few minutes of daily attention and working memory practice into a stable habit: anchor it to a routine, make starting easy, handle streaks and breaks, and keep practice from becoming a burden.
Working memory basics
A plain-language introduction to working memory: its role in study and work, why it is so easily interrupted, everyday habits that lighten the load, and what practice games can and cannot do.
Schulte grid
How to read your Schulte grid results
Understand Schulte grid time, score, accuracy and combo: which swings are normal, how to set a personal baseline, and when to level up or step back.
Schulte grid progression plan
A step-by-step Schulte grid route: what each level trains, when to move up, and how to use rotating rings, timed swaps and flashing distractors.
Working memory tasks
N-back levels explained
The rules and six levels of the position-based N-back in Prefrontal Gym: the difference between 1-back and 3-back, common sticking points, memory strategies and how to read your accuracy.
Backward digit span guide
Rules of backward digit span in Prefrontal Gym, the levels from three to eight digits, chunking and reverse-reading strategies, common mistakes, and how to understand your results and limits.
Attention and inhibition tasks
Ball tracking practice guide
Rules, the six levels, tracking strategies, common mistakes and how to read results for the ball tracking (multiple object tracking) task in Prefrontal Gym.
Stroop practice guide
The rules and levels of the Stroop task in Prefrontal Gym, why the meaning of a word gets in the way, and how to stay accurate under time pressure. For anyone who wants to practise pausing before reacting.