Is my memory normal?

Click ‘Memory Check’ to find out.

→     Memory Check

Remember: you can do this on-line, or print it off and complete it by hand.

To get your correct scores, place the numeral of your choice into the correct column (e.g. if you think 3 describes your memory, place a 3 in the third column).
On-line, your scores add up downwards automatically. On paper you will have to add them up yourself.
Then add the scores across the bottom of the page to get your grand total.

If you have any queries or comments, contact the author: To email us

If you’d like to improve your memory score, sign up for Brain Tune below. It’s free! And we will never share your details with anyone.

Kindest regards

Gillian Eadie
MEd, BA, LTCL, Churchill Fellow
CEO Brain and Memory Foundation.

To purchase your own copy of the life-changing book, Seven Second Memory: Memory techniques that will change your life, visit http://sevensecondmemory.com; also available for reading on Kindle,  iPad, iPhone or other smartphones.

Never forget again!

Most people want to know how to improve their brain. Trouble is, most want improvement without actually having to do anything! And they want it NOW.

Well, there are some quick fixes that you can do today – and there are hints about some ways of doing things that will give you longer term improvement. No-one has to accept forgetfulness as a way of life, particularly if you are entering your 50’s and 60’s.

Scientists have now shown that building up a `cognitive reserve’ will give you a buffer against memory loss of the minor kind and may even delay the onset of actual memory diseases like Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

So, here’s the plan:

1. Believe that you have a good memory that can and will improve. Too many people let themselves off the hook by saying things like, ‘I’m no good with names’, “I’m having a senior moment’. And they leave it at that. Don’t let that be you. Persist until you remember whatever it was. Be determined and positive and be pleased with yourself when you succeed. Keep motivated and don’t say negative things about your memory.

2. Keep challenging your brain. Like any muscle in the body, regularly “exercising” the brain keeps it growing. New nerve connections develop and they improve your chance of remembering. Complex tasks such as learning a newcomputer program, language or musical instrument—keep your brain active and improve its physiological functioning. Your brain can regrow!

3. Regular aerobic exercise of at least 20 minutes a day improves your circulation throughout the body, including in the brain, and can help ward off the memory loss that comes with aging. Exercise also makes you more alert and relaxed, so your mental processing will be more effective.

4. Reducing any serious stress you are experiencing will improve your memory. I know it is easier said than done but stretching, relaxation exercises and any form of meditation will allow for more effective thinking processes. While chronic stress does not physically damage the brain, it can make focus, observation and remembering much more difficult.

5. A healthy diet will support your healthy brain, and a well-nourished brain functions much more efficiently. Include in your diet, foods containing antioxidants, like broccoli, blueberries, green tea, spinach, and red berries as well as Omega-3 fatty acids. Your brain also needs Thiamine, Vitamin E, Niacin and Vitamin B-6. Grazing, eating 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day instead of 3 large meals, also seems to improve mental functioning (including memory) by counteracting dips in blood sugar, which may negatively affect the brain. Supplements often purport to improve memory but only ginkgo biloba and phosphatidylserine have shown improvements in clinical trials.

6. Consciously practise your skills of observation. Notice details. Ask questions. Express an interest and actively attempt to learn something new. I have been the world’s worst at noticing details but I am making a conscious effort to overcome this tendency because I have found the more precise attention I pay, the better I remember.

7. Give yourself at least seven seconds of processing to form a memory. Memories are very transitory in the short-term, and distractions can make you quickly forget something as simple as a phone number. Focus on what you want to remember without distractions, all the while noticing details, repeating or connecting the new information.

8. Use all of your senses when forming these connections. Create for yourself vivid, memorable images because you remember information more easily if you can visualize it. Some people imagine quite bizarre happenings to connect ideas – it is up to you!

9. Repetition is memory’s friend. The more times you hear, see, or think about something, the more likely you are to remember it. When you want to remember a phone number, url or your colleague’s birthday, repeat it, either out loud or silently. Try writing it down; recite it again in ten minutes and half an hour later.

10. Categorizing individual things, often called chunking, will help you remember seemingly random items on a list. Practice with your shopping list.

11. Get organized. Have a designated place for items that you frequently need, such as keys and wallet. Use an electronic organizer or daily planner to keep track of appointments, due dates for bills, and other tasks. Improved organization reduces distraction and improves concentration.

12. Getting a good night’s sleep – a minimum of seven hours a night – may improve your short-term memory and long-term relational memory, according to recent studies conducted at the Harvard Medical School.

14. Find out about different skills and techniques for remembering. Mnemonics, memory structures and graphic organizers will visibly improve your memory. Seven Second Memory Plus Six Other Powerful Memory Techniques: Rewire your brain for a youthful mind. will start you on your improving your brain. Try it now.

Confident and independent lifestyles.

Until the financial crisis these past years, there had never been a better time in history to be 60. Boomers as a generation are more wealthy, living more interesting lives and have more years ahead of them to look forward to than ever before. Among the Americans who celebrated their 60th in that year were our two most recent presidents, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton as well as other well-known celebrities like Cher, Donald Trump, Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton.

There were 78.2 million boomers in the US in 2005 and since then, 7918 people turn 60 each day – that’s 330 each hour!

And lots of you will be called James or Mary, because they were the most popular names in 1946. As I said, we are the generation that has worked hard, studied hard and made wealth for our companies and families.

So we should all be on top of the world, right?

Yes, so long as you can still remember all that way back!

The sad thing is that more and more boomers are beginning to suffer memory loss and the devastating side effects that arise from that. On an average, boomer annual health care spending will be around $3899 at 60 and rising each year. It’s estimated that there will be 57.8 million boomers living in 2030, aged between 66 and 84. What will you be doing? Will you be living active, fulfilled and interesting lives? Or will you be living in one of the 5000+ continuing care retirement facilities.

Ending up in care is currently one of the worst fears of baby boomers, who abhor the idea of losing their independence and not being able to manage their own lives.

Without an active and alert memory, though, this will be the reality for a growing percentage of boomers. So the time to do something for your memory is now, while you still have it!

The media is full of advertisements for anti-aging serums, anti-wrinkle potions, hair loss formulae and medications to keep you young.

In reality, it is your active mind and body that determines the youthfulness of your future.

Your memory is your life – so take steps now to build memory resilience. Research shows that the brain, when stimulated, can grow in capacity and effectiveness.

Without stimulation, is loses size, density and forgetfulness takes over.

Look up Seven Second Memory for an excellent introduction for steps you can be taking for your brain’s future, now.

For more free help and personal advice on keeping that boomer brain growing and improving your memory, please visit the Brain and Memory Foundation.

Get these right and you won’t forget important dates again!

You mightn’t realize it, but your brain is designed to forget – that’s right, to forget!

No, it’s not a misprint – your brain is working hard all day forgetting things so that you are not having a brain overload malfunction.
Imagine what it would be like if your memory remembered every detail of every moment of your day. It would be like a camera clicking every nanosecond.

Your clever brain filters out everything it thinks you don’t need.

So you have to give your brain clear signals about the things you want to remember.
How do you do that?
Well, it’s a big topic to cover here (full story in Seven Second Memory) but grab these 4 easy ways to help you remember:

1. Focus on what you need to remember.

Don’t expect to listen or look for a second or so and expect to remember. You need to concentrate for seven seconds if you want to remember something later. Try it, it will seem a long time but, if you spend this time repeating, connecting or visualizing the data, you will remember it.

2. Use ONE diary.

Put everything in there so that you are not looking through several places each time you want to check something.

3. Get your surroundings organized.

Establish places for all of the items that you regularly lose, and use them! Hooks for your keys, drawer for your wallet, mobile, glasses and diary – all need a defined place where you put them. Concentrate while you place them there!

4. Give your brain some help!

To remember appointments ahead of time (using your prospective memory) give your brain as many ‘hooks’ as you can. In your mind , embed the details of the appointment in as many ways as you can. I’m meeting the accountant on Thursday at 9.30 am. What is his/her name? Where will I park the car? Which floor of the building is it on? What do I need to take? What questions will I ask? Where will I go once I have left that appointment at 10.30? Use as many senses as you can – visualize the clock, building and face of the accountant, ‘hear’ the questions you will ask, ‘feel’ the papers you will need to take, and so on. Are you already thinking that you haven’t a spare seven seconds to do this?? Well, think of how many minutes you waste trying to remember the time, day, location and name if you haven’t committed them to memory. It’s a no-brainer!

Forgetfulness can ruin your confidence and your life.

When you forget something important, you feel all at sea and your confidence can take a serious hit.

But this does not have to be the story of your life. Taking a few easy actions can quickly provide certainty in your memory, every day.

For many more tips and fuller explanations of how you can regain your youthful memory, get Seven Second Memory Plus Six Other Powerful Memory Techniques. Rewire Your Brain For a Youthful Mind. Dr. Allison Lamont, PhD & Gillian M. Eadie, 2009.

You’ll be glad you did!