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.
From mastering a Rubik's Cube to holding complex ideas in your head, from reading a room to thinking on your feet – this book 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 asset: your brain.
You have far more potential than you realize – an inner genius waiting to be awakened. This book unlocks it.
Praise
“Six-time USA Memory Champion Nelson Dellis demolishes the genius myth with battle-tested techniques that unlock mental capabilities you didn’t know you had—from rapid memory to laser focus to intuitive problem-solving.”
—Barbara Oakley, co-creator of the world’s most popular online course, Learning How to Learn
“In Everyday Genius, Nelson Dellis reveals that peak mental performance isn’t about innate talent; it’s about genuine curiosity, sophisticated training—and the courage to push your limits.”
—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, author, neurosurgeon, and chief medical correspondent for CNN
“With the turn of every page, you will feel yourself becoming smarter!”
—Arthur Benjamin, author of Secrets of Mental Math
“In Everyday Genius, Nelson Dellis combines science, storytelling, and experience to prove that extraordinary mental abilities are within everyone’s reach.”
—Majid Fotuhi, MD PhD, associate professor, Johns Hopkins University, and author of The Invincible Br
“This book proves that genius isn’t a birthright; it’s a habit.”
—David Perlmutter, MD, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Grain Brain and Brain Defenders
“Nelson gives you the tools to think sharper, remember more, and elevate your life one skill at a time—just like he did when he taught me to solve a Rubik’s Cube at the summit of Aconcagua!”
—Alvaro Nuñez, entrepreneur and extreme athlete
“Everyday Genius proves that exploration isn’t only out there in the world—it’s inside the mind, and Nelson shares the tools to venture deeper.”
—Colin O’Brady, ten-time world-record-holding explorer and New York Times bestselling author of The I
“Nelson Dellis addresses, undresses, and refreshingly redresses the underpinnings of genius in this accessible, well-informed, and engaging book.”
—Julia Mossbridge, PhD, author of Have a Nice Disclosure and The Calling
“The tools in this book helped me sharpen my focus, spot details faster, and level up my mental game.”
—Trevor Rainbolt, GeoGuessr Pro and content creator
“Nelson makes complex ideas feel simple and achievable, reminding us that most things aren’t nearly as daunting as they seem.”
—Wes Barker, magician and entertainer
“The gap between what our minds are capable of and what we actually achieve is one of humanity’s greatest wastes, and Everyday Genius is a perfect guide to closing that gap.”
—Andrea Muzii, former World Memory Champion
“A handbook for the mind and a love letter to learning, this book makes the extraordinary feel achievable.”
—Bob Schafer, PhD, CEO, and head of research at Lumosity
“You don’t have to be a genius to look like one! Everyday Genius will get you there.”
—Chris Ramsay, magician, YouTube creator, and star of Big Trick Energy
“As someone who’s constantly pushing my mind and body to new limits, this became a tool kit for sharpening focus, trusting intuition, and unlocking a side of my brain I didn’t even know was there.”
—Dee Valladares, adventurer, entrepreneur, and winner of Survivor 45
“A delightful read for anyone interested in building up their brain.”
—Gabe Wyner, author of Fluent Forever
“In my house, I always keep multiple copies of Nelson Dellis’s book Remember It! to hand out as party favors whenever I want to leave a lasting impression. But now with his new, brilliant, and confidence-building book Everyday Genius, I’m realizing I’m going to need more shelves.”
—Daniel Thrasher, actor, comedian, and musician
“In our current era of potent and high-speed distractions, it is timely to have this manual of focus and calm.”
—George Church, professor, Harvard and MIT, and author of Regenesis
“Dellis artfully brings you behind the curtain and shows how to tap into the genius in all of us.”
—Alex Mullen, three-time World Memory Champion
“Everyday Genius is the essential tool for every aspiring genius.”
—Marc Agronin, MD, chief medical officer of the MIND Institute at Miami Jewish Health and author of T
“Everyday Genius is a must-read to learn how to tap into the genius within ourselves.”
—Timothy Jang (Spartan), professional blackjack player
