Imagine yourself at the wheel, hands tightly clutching and just a heartbeat separating you from the beginning lights. Racing is about reacting, fast, to the smallest cues, not only about spinning a wheel rapidly. The F1 reaction test is therefore all about the space between light and motion, thinking and action.

Everybody who has seen an F1 start understands the tension. One by one lights blink on, all focus zeroes in. The race bursts into life then, bam—the lights blink off. The speed at which a motorist leaps off the mark is not only determined by muscular memory. Pure practice here is what I do Tools range from phone apps who whoosh and beep, monitoring each twitch of your finger, to computerized boards with erratic patterns. Drivers discover creative ways to put nerves and fingers through their paces even in home training.

Try doing one of these experiments with several others. The fastest in the group begins to perspire suddenly. Everything throws off your timing—odd sounds, your sibling cracking jokes in your ear, or the dog trotting past at exactly the wrong moment. It’s funny and chaotic. You then find yourself wering on who orders pizza.

On these tests, top-class F1 racers sometimes post times less than 0.2 seconds. A startled cat reacts with that time. Most people lie somewhat slowly, more like 0.25 seconds and above. When there is much on the line—even for simple home tasks—that extra fraction of a second seems enormous.

Although rapid reflexes are a gift you are born with, everyone can develop faster with enough effort. Repetition stimulates those neurons, and shortly your hand almost moves before your brain even orders it. Some racers utilize old-fashioned techniques like catching a falling ruler, toss balls, bring juggling acts into the mix, or combine elements. The secret is diversity and tenacity, not flashy gear.

Working on response time gives you what? The margin is for pros the difference between a blank podium and a championship. For the rest of us, it may either determine who walks the dog or enhance game night. Fast joy, a challenge, an inside joke—sometimes all at once.

Line up, take your preferred timer, and dare a friend or relative to run a race. Count the milliseconds, celebrate your successes, laugh at the misses. Loser empties the trash. Your marks; get ready; wait for the light. GET!