Everyday Genius: Hacks to Boost Your Memory, Focus, Problem-Solving, and Much More

by Nelson Dellis, Barbara Oakley (Foreword)

What if genius isn't something you're born with—it's something you build? Everyday Genius, by six-time USA Memory Champion Nelson Dellis, upgrades your everyday life through practical skills, whether it's memorizing names at a new job, doing lightning-fast mental math when it counts, honing decisive intuition, and beyond.

Written by Remember It! author Nelson Dellis with a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Barbara Oakley, Everyday Genius teaches you the skills that make genius-level thinking accessible to anyone. Better memory. Sharper focus. Faster learning. Creative problem-solving. No natural talent required, just the right methods. In 2009, after watching his grandmother struggle with Alzheimer's, Nelson Dellis set out to strengthen his own mind. That mission led to six USA Memory Championships, two Guinness World Records, and a career dedicated to proving that anyone can develop genius-level cognitive abilities. Everyday Genius teaches you to memorize names and faces instantly, speed-read with deep comprehension, calculate mentally with surprising accuracy, and focus intensely when it matters most. You'll learn strategies for chess and strategic games, techniques for acing exams and public speaking, and methods for creative problem-solving that help you see connections others miss. This audiobook gives you the mental toolkit for a sharper, more engaged life. At a time when outsourcing our thinking has never been easier, Everyday Genius shows you how to reclaim and strengthen your most valuable your brain. You have far more potential than you realize—an inner genius waiting to be awakened. This guide unlocks it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology

304 pages, Hardcover

Published March 17, 2026

About the author

Nelson Charles Dellis is an American memory athlete, Grandmaster of Memory, mountaineer, published author, public speaker, and consultant. He is a four-time USA Memory Champion, tying the record for most wins of the national memory champion title. He is also one of the co-founders of Memory League

Reviews

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ Overall, I enjoyed this book and the many techniques that Dellis provides for remembering different types of information. Dellis provides a lot of examples to further explain the techniques, which I found very helpful. I also appreciated the genius spotlights and insight into how certain techniques and habits strengthened their capability.

The only section of the book that caused me to lose interest was the section on gambling and counting cards. It’s just not really my thing and the section seemed quite long.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

[Hypsypops · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this book.

This books says it is “hacks to boost your memory” and I went into it looking for some quick tricks to assist my memory. I know the biggest thing is always going to be practice, but I was hoping to ease in. While this book does have some quick tricks, it starts out by giving detailed instructions on long, laborious methods of memory training, and honestly, I was close to DNFing at that point. I would love to have a better memory, but it isn’t my number one priority, and I’m not going to dive in and spend hours a day on a memory palace.

I did not DNF at that point, and I’m glad I didn’t. There are quick tricks and hacks that can be incorporated into life, that’s just not where the book starts.

The author has several good micro-meditation strategies that are very achievable. Things like focusing on your breath for two minutes, or staring at a dot on the paper for one. He also has strategies for going beyond the basic, and I appreciate having room for growth.

I listened to the audiobook, and while I enjoyed it (it is a great audiobook) I would recommend reading it, or at least having a hard copy in hand while you listen. It’s the type of book where you want to underline and tab pages for reference later, and that just isn’t possible with an audiobook. As I said, there are long passages that are written for people who really want to dig in and become an expert, and I don’t feel the need to reread those parts soon. I do want to find little things I can implement in my day to day life and try adding those one at a time. I’m already looking forward to getting a physical copy and reading it slowly.

Thank you NetGalley for this ALC.

[Francis Tapon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Everyday Genius" is a practical, engaging guide to improving memory and learning that goes well beyond simple “party tricks.” Nelson Dellis lays out a full system covering memory palaces, studying and mastery, speed reading, mental math, strategy, and everyday applications like social situations.

The opening chapters can feel dense and technical, especially around long-form memory training, but those who keep going find plenty of quick, realistic techniques and micro-exercises they can add to daily life.

It teaches you to absorb large amounts of information efficiently and helps you learn complex material.

Dellis explains concepts and breaks big ideas into simple, actionable steps that deliver real results if you’re willing to practice.

I recommend getting a print or ebook edition since the math-heavy and example-rich sections are much easier to follow, highlight, and revisit on the page than on an audiobook. Some critics have given the books 3 stars because it works poorly as audiobooks, but I'm rating the content, which is 5 stars.

Overall, this is a strong choice if you’re serious about boosting your memory and learning skills and are willing to put in some work—ideally with a physical or digital copy you can mark up—rather than just skimming quick tips.

Dellis repeatedly emphasizes that "genius" is attainable for everyone if you're willing to put in a bit of effort and learn some clever tricks and shortcuts.

[Rina · Rating 4 out of 5]

After watching his grandmother struggle with Alzheimer's, six-time USA Memory Champion Nelson Dellis set out to prove that genius-level cognitive abilities can be developed through the right methods rather than natural talent. Everyday Genius provides a mental toolkit to help you memorise names, speed-read, calculate mentally, and master complex games or public speaking. In an era of outsourced thinking, this guide teaches you to reclaim and strengthen your brain, offering practical strategies for a sharper, more focused, and creatively engaged life.

"Mental toolkit" is exactly the right term for this guide. It is packed with tips and tricks to memorise facts and process information quickly. Even though we rely more and more on technology to support our thinking, I still believe that having a strong memory is a massive advantage and a great personal bonus.

One thing to note is that the book doesn’t pad the content with stories, and it isn't particularly conversational. It is very concise and to the point - diving directly into practical steps you can follow. The only downside is that it can feel a bit clinical at times, almost like a textbook. Because of that, I’d recommend using it as a reference guide that you can easily flip through whenever you need help with a specific topic.

(Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a gifted review copy)

See my bookstagram review.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book! The following are my own opinions!

While I’m impressed with Nelson Dellis’ ability to MacGyver his memory, I don’t recommend the audiobook if you are a visual learner. This book is very heavily maths centric.

Nelson did share many interesting facts throughout the book, I didn’t know that Leonardo was a procrastinator, which makes me feel a little bit better about myself. Hah. His encouragement to read more and always seek self improvement is motivating! I’m very impressed by the World records he has broken. He hones in on how to sharpen many skills, so if you wanting to read faster, do maths faster or just exercise your brain, I think this is a good read. Is it all stuff I’ve never heard before? No, but some might find this to be a handy resource.

[Erica Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminded me a lot of Moonwalking with Einstein! After pushing through some heavy, dense background on memory training in the beginning, I was pleasantly relieved to see the author describe how we can easily and quickly insert some of these tricks into our regular lives. I listened to the audiobook and I feel like a book like this would probably be best absorbed in print, where I could highlight and easily go back and review what I'd just learned. Listening makes it hard to really grasp some of the numerical examples. But I'm looking forward to listening again or grabbing a hard copy to reinforce some of the learnings! But the author narrates the audiobook and I definitely think that enhanced the experience, given the deep knowledge of the subject that he conveyed.

Thanks NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the advanced listening copy. All opinions are my own.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was perfectly fine. I enjoyed the backstory the rest of it. I felt this would be better in a workbook or course style. Because the way it was presented felt more like it could be from anywhere. His story was great, and the processes seemed good. As an audiobook, though, as I had it, I thought it would be better at some type of app or something like that..

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about boosting your memory and focus

[Bookbubble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nelson Dellis has created a comprehensive and accessible system to help anyone remember and recall a range of information, not just small details. He covers studying and mastery, speed reading, mental math, creative problem-solving, strategy, and applying memory to social situations. Chapter 4 on mastery and how to study better feels especially useful for students of all ages and anyone studying for professional licensing exams.

I also liked that this is a book you don't have to read linearly. You can skip to the sections that address what you need. Even if you only read Chapter 1, you’ll get something useful out of it because Dellis explains how the system works before he gets into the details. That makes it easy to understand the framework first and then decide what parts you want to use.

If I were still in school or studying for licensing exams and had to memorize things, this book would've been exceptionally helpful for remembering material I really didn't care about. ADHD makes that especially difficult for me. I wouldn't have had to read and struggle through large passages in dusty textbooks. I could focus on memorizing key details and recalling them on cue.

This book is full of incredibly helpful material if you want to expand what your brain can do.