Today’s Six: Can You Beat Yesterday’s Score?

Grab a pen, a sheet of paper, and whatever is in your mug. This is the daily six: six short exercises that work different corners of your brain, scored out of 30. Do it at the same time each day, write the score on the sheet, and try to nudge it up over the week.

One ground rule: no phone. A kitchen timer or the clock on the stove is all you need. Set up a score sheet first by copying the table near the bottom, then start the clock.

1. Name recall (5 points)

Read these eight people for 60 seconds. Say each one out loud once. Picture them if you can: Dale with a wrench in his back pocket, Marcy in a white coat.

1. Dale, the plumber
2. Marcy, the dentist
3. Hank, the barber
4. Louise, the bus driver
5. Gene, the pharmacist
6. Carol, the librarian
7. Walt, the carpenter
8. Diane, the baker

Now cover the list. Before you write anything, do the distraction: say the months of the year backward, out loud, starting with December. Take your time and get all twelve.

Done? Write down as many name-and-job pairs as you can. A pair only counts if both halves are right. Score: 8 pairs is 5 points, 6 to 7 is 4, 4 to 5 is 3, 2 to 3 is 2, and 0 to 1 is 1.

2. Word fluency: the letter S (5 points)

Set the timer for 60 seconds. Write every word you can think of that starts with S. Three rules: no names of people or places, no numbers, and one form of each word only (sing, singing, and singer count as one).

When the timer goes, count your words and use the cap table.

Most people land between 10 and 15 on their first go. It climbs fast with practice, which is the point.

3. Digits backward (5 points)

Five strings, 3 to 7 digits long. Uncover one string at a time. Read it once, say it out loud once, cover it, then write it down in reverse order. Then check. One point per correct string.

1. 4 7 2
2. 8 3 9 1
3. 6 2 5 8 3
4. 9 1 4 7 2 6
5. 3 8 5 1 9 4 7

If you get the seven-digit string, take a bow. Five and six digits are where most people start dropping numbers.

4. The shopping list (5 points)

Read this list twice, slowly.

• Eggs
• Batteries
• Peaches
• Dish soap
• Stamps

Cover it. Now, for 20 seconds, count backward from 60 by threes, out loud: 60, 57, 54 and so on. When the 20 seconds are up, write the five items. Order does not matter. One point per item.

5. Ten mental-math chains (5 points)

No scribbling the in-between steps. Hold the running number in your head and write only the final answer. Go at a steady pace; this is about accuracy, not speed.

1. Start at 8. Add 7. Double it. Subtract 6.
2. Start at 20. Subtract 6. Multiply by 3. Add 5.
3. Start at 16. Halve it. Add 11. Triple it.
4. Start at 9. Multiply by 4. Subtract 12. Divide by 6.
5. Start at 25. Add 25. Subtract 17. Double it.
6. Start at 7. Multiply by 7. Add 1. Divide by 5.
7. Start at 100. Subtract 36. Add 14. Halve it.
8. Start at 3. Double it. Double it again. Double it again. Double it once more. Subtract 8.
9. Start at 45. Divide by 9. Add 13. Multiply by 2.
10. Start at 11. Add 19. Divide by 3. Multiply by 8.

Score: 10 right is 5 points, 8 to 9 is 4, 6 to 7 is 3, 4 to 5 is 2, and 0 to 3 is 1.

6. Name ten things (5 points)

Thirty seconds on the clock. Category: things you would find in a garage. Write as many as you can, up to ten. Tools, vehicles, the junk you keep meaning to throw out: all fair game, as long as each one is a different thing.

Score: 10 is 5 points, 8 to 9 is 4, 6 to 7 is 3, 4 to 5 is 2, and 0 to 3 is 1.

Your score sheet

Copy this onto the top of your page. Keep the sheet on the fridge and fill in a column each day.

A rough guide: 25 to 30 is a sharp morning. 18 to 24 is a solid, normal day. 12 to 17 usually means you are tired, rushed, or new to this. Under 12, have the coffee first and try again tomorrow. Scores swing with sleep, stress, and how much you have practiced, so the number that matters is the trend over a few weeks, not any single day.

A plain word about what this is

These games are for fun and for checking in with yourself. They are not a medical test, they do not diagnose anything, and they are not treatment for anything. A low score on a Tuesday means you had a low-score Tuesday. That said, if you or the people around you notice memory changes that get in the way of daily life, such as repeating the same question, getting lost on a familiar route, trouble following a recipe you have made for years, or missed bills piling up, that is worth a conversation with your doctor. A short visit can rule out plenty of fixable causes, from medication side effects to poor sleep.

Answers

1. Name recall: Dale, plumber. Marcy, dentist. Hank, barber. Louise, bus driver. Gene, pharmacist. Carol, librarian. Walt, carpenter. Diane, baker.

2. Word fluency: No single answer. Any real S word that follows the three rules counts. A sample run of 18: salt, sand, soup, sock, song, sail, silver, sister, summer, sudden, smile, spoon, stamp, sweet, sugar, shelf, shadow, stone.

3. Digits backward: 2 7 4; 1 9 3 8; 3 8 5 2 6; 6 2 7 4 1 9; 7 4 9 1 5 8 3.

4. Shopping list: Eggs, batteries, peaches, dish soap, stamps.

5. Math chains: 1) 24. 2) 47. 3) 57. 4) 4. 5) 66. 6) 10. 7) 39. 8) 40. 9) 36. 10) 80.

6. Ten things in a garage: Any ten count. For example: hammer, ladder, lawn mower, rake, paint can, extension cord, bicycle, toolbox, broom, garden hose.

Tomorrow brings a new letter, new digits, and a new list. Same sheet, same mug. See if you can beat today.