Getting Started with BrainDojo: Build a 10-Second Daily Brain Habit

Starting a brain-training habit is much easier when the first step is tiny. BrainDojo is built around exactly that idea: training games that can activate your brain in just 10 seconds a day. In this post I want to walk through your first session and show how to turn it into a habit that actually lasts.

What Is BrainDojo?

BrainDojo is an iPhone and iPad app for making brain training a daily habit. It offers neuroscience-based exercises built on activities such as handwriting, calculation, and reading aloud. We designed it for everyone from kids to seniors, and you can train solo or together with family and friends.

Two things make it easy to begin:

It works offline. All content is available without an internet connection, so you can train anytime, anywhere: on the train, on a trip, or in a waiting room.
No registration is required. You can start training the moment the app opens. A BrainDojo account is only needed if you want to use user support.

Your First Three Steps

BrainDojo is available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. Once it is installed, you can start right away. There is no sign-up form between you and your first exercise.

Step 2: Play your Today’s Training exercise

“Today’s Training” is the natural place to begin. On the free plan you can play one Today’s Training exercise each day. Open the app, complete that one exercise, and you have already done today’s brain training. Because it takes so little time, coming back tomorrow never feels like a big ask.

Step 3: Explore “Try for free”

The free plan also includes “Try for free”, a selection of exercises you can play at no cost. Use it to get a feel for the different types of training, such as handwriting, calculation, and reading aloud, and to find out which ones you enjoy before deciding whether you want the full library.

Why 10 Seconds a Day Works

The hardest part of any habit is simply showing up. When the daily commitment is as small as 10 seconds, there is almost no excuse to skip it. You can train while the kettle boils, between meetings, or right before you put your phone down at night.

I believe consistency matters more than session length. A short session you actually complete every day builds a far stronger routine than a long session you manage once a week. So start tiny. If you feel like doing more on a given day, explore the “Try for free” exercises, but treat everything beyond that first exercise as a bonus, not an obligation. On busy days, your one quick exercise still counts, and the habit survives.

Use the Stamp Calendar to Stay Consistent

BrainDojo includes a Stamp Calendar that rewards your daily training with completion stamps. Watching the stamps accumulate is a simple, satisfying way to see your consistency at a glance. An unbroken run of stamps is also a surprisingly strong reason to come back and train again tomorrow.

If you also want a same-day goal to aim for, the Brain Meter shows the level of your brain activation, and it increases as you complete multiple training sessions in a day. We cover it in detail in How to Use the Brain Meter in BrainDojo.

If You Want More: BrainDojo Plus

The free plan is a complete starting point, and there is no pressure to upgrade. When you find yourself wanting more variety, BrainDojo Plus gives you all of the neuroscience-based exercises, access to new exercises, favorites, and settings for Today’s Training. For an honest comparison of the two plans, see BrainDojo Free vs Plus. For pricing, please check the in-app purchase screen.

Questions Along the Way

If anything is unclear, such as offline use, favorites, the Brain Meter, or why the app uses a subscription, the BrainDojo Help Center covers the most common questions.

If you want to try BrainDojo, it is on the App Store. Play your Today’s Training exercise today, then do it again tomorrow. That is all a habit needs to begin.