According to Kwik, you can make any activity more mindful—even something as simple as watching TV. 

“I’m not saying you can’t just sit back and enjoy a good film,” he notes. But if you want to simultaneously exercise your mind, try and put yourself in a certain character’s shoes. What would you have done in their situation? What can you learn from this character’s journey? 

You can practice this skill with any type of entertainment, but he finds fiction pieces especially helpful. “Fiction has been shown to improve your EQ, which is your emotional quotient,” he explains. “Instead of just learning a lot of data, it improves your level of empathy, your ability to switch perceptual positions through a narrative, to feel what the characters are going through at any given time, and come up with creative solutions.” 

Take it from Kwik: Imagination is a valuable brain power.