Feel like your brain has gone into hibernation? Wake it up! Unleash untapped mental power (you know it's in there) with these surprisingly simple tricks.

Bears, bees, bats and groundhogs all hibernate in winter -- and the shorter days and colder weather can make you want to follow suit. Instead, give your brain a "reboot." These 12 brain hacks will teach you how.

1. Get curious.

Learn to watch your behavior from a third-person perspective -- as if you were looking over your own shoulder. It sounds odd, but it's a great way to evaluate what you do, question why you do it and change it.

2. Try something new.

Have the chance to try a new food, walk a different route, or learn a new skill? Take it! Saying "yes" to new things opens up your creative horizons and helps you spot connections that others miss.

3. Hit pause.

Learn to insert a second or two of pause before you react to a challenge or opportunity. The pause allows you to take control of what you do next, turning a reaction into a response.

4. Embrace failure.

Sure, you don't want to become a failure. But when failures happen, learn to see them as an opportunity to find out what went wrong, try a new approach and get better at what you do.

5. Do your best work at your best time.

When are you most mentally alert and focused? Figure out when you feel best and schedule your most important task for this time -- every day.

6. Stop pretending you can multitask.

Research shows that multitasking is a myth. The brain doesn't do two things at once; it switches attention back and forth between them. Every switch wastes a fraction of a second that builds up into lost minutes or even hours. Instead, focus on one task at a time until the goal is complete.

7. Alternate tasks.

If your "most important task" is a high-focus task, follow it with a low-focus task, like sorting paperwork or reorganizing your office. This helps the brain recharge for the next high-focus task without wasting your productive time.

8. Ignore your email (temporarily).

Email has a way of dragging us all off-task first thing in the morning. Instead, ignore it until lunchtime. Then, and only then, address what's in it -- one thing at a time until your inbox is clear.

9. De-focus.

Intense focus produces some of our best creative and productive work. But in order to "breathe out" astounding work, we also have to "breathe in." Spend time every day just relaxing, whether that's on a walk, on your couch or even in the shower.

10. Drink more water.

Dehydration causes fatigue, increases achiness and slows down our thinking, so make sure you're getting plenty of water. Added bonus: Proper hydration is good for your physical health, too.

11. Visualize the positive.

When faced with uncertainty, the brain's natural response is to exaggerate potential harm, in order to keep us from danger. To stay on track, try visualizing the best possible outcome, then identifying ways to get closer to it.

12. Remember your purpose.

Anytime you're primed to take an action, ask yourself, "why?" What's your goal? When you ask "why," you automatically prime your brain to move you toward your bigger purpose -- and away from knee-jerk reactions that can undermine you.