The StoWicks Conversations
by
Carolyn and Seth Wicks
Today's Key Points:
- Memory Starts with Attention
- Depth Beats Distraction
- Train Your Brain Like Your Body
Seth: Well, the old folks might finally be on to something. Most people would agree that older generations usually don't like younger generations for a variety of reasons: They're lazy, complacent, soft, irresponsible, etc. I've never really bought into this mentality, for the main reason that each generation is unique and has it's own challenges and hardships. There is a shift, however, that is hard to ignore: Everyone, especially the younger generations, are incredibly distracted.
Recent studies have confirmed that young adults have worse memory and learning skills, which is in stark contrast to previous generations at the same age. Our thought: Everyone's attention is being pulled in a thousand different directions all day long, and that leads to poor memory and focus. Even older adults are struggling to combat phone addiction and cognitive impairment.
So how can you stop this trend in your own life start training your brain to remember again?
Carolyn: Let’s start from the top, what’s actually happening in the brain? This is a science-heavy one folks, my favorite 🤓.
We’ve all heard it by now: our attention spans are getting worse. Blame social media, blame endless notifications, blame the gamification of everything, from content to even investing platforms like Robinhood. Whatever the source, the outcome is the same: our brains are being trained to chase quick hits of stimulation instead of sustained focus.
Memory problems often start as attention problems.
Your brain doesn’t just randomly decide what to remember. It encodes memories through focused attention and repetition. Without those two things, nothing sticks. As Andrew Huberman explains, neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to learn and form new connections, requires a state of alertness driven by chemicals. But when your attention is constantly being pulled in different directions like texts, scrolling, background TV, you never enter that focused state long enough for learning to happen.
Think about it: how much do you actually remember from the last time you were scrolling while half-watching TV? Probably not much.
So if you never fully pay attention, your brain decides it's probably not worth remembering.
Seth: I recently read Deep Work by Cal Newport, and this is something he talks about repeatedly. Being able to focus on one thing at a time leads to greater depth and understanding, whereas focusing on ten things at once will yield little to no retention.
Think back to your school days and time blocking. You didn't know it at the time, but you spent 45-75 minutes on a particular subject, and you studied 3-5 subjects per day. No phones, no distractions, just lesson after lesson, day after day. By the end of the semester or course, you knew the material because you had spent countless hours in the classroom (and outside of it) focused solely on each subject. Remember: Focused attention is what creates memories and neural connections.
One of Newport's main points was how much time we have each day to truly dive into our greatest endeavor. Even the most disciplined and focused individuals only have enough brainpower to focus on one subject for 3-4 hours, but think about that for a second. If you could actually work up to that amount of time each day on your most important life task, you would build a level of retention and understanding that most people never reach. So how can you train your attention to actually remember more of what you learn?
Carolyn: I'm glad you asked Seth! There are a few ways to train your brain.
Start with single-tasking/focus training, 25-45 minutes of uninterrupted work blocks. Put your phone away, turn off the tv, get comfortable, and focus. This can dramatically improve how well you retain information.
Another way to strengthen memory is practice recalling, so you literally just pause and try to remember what you just learned without looking back at it. Try it with a podcast, a book, or even a conversation, this can strengthen neural pathways.
And it doesn't stop there, at night, your deep sleep consolidates memories and moves them from short term to long term storage. So even with the most focused effort during the day, without quality sleep, it won't stick.
Finally, be selective with what you give your attention to. If your brain is constantly overloaded with input, it has no filter for what is important.
Seth: We are major advocates healthspan, and that includes what kind of brain you’re building for the long run. A lot of people assume cognitive decline is just something that happens with age, but that’s not the full story. Our habits play a huge role in how our brain ages.
Dr. Peter Attia talks a lot about how we can actively influence long-term brain health. One of the biggest levers is exercise, especially cardio. When you train your heart and lungs, you increase something called BDNF, which is basically fuel for the brain. It supports memory, learning, and overall cognitive function.
You can also learn new skills (we are working harder on our Spanish skills) or combine resistance training with aerobic fitness to keep your brain adaptable and strong.
At the end of the day, training your brain is no different than training your body. If you stop challenging it, it adapts downward. If you consistently push it, both mentally and physically, you will build it up.
Carolyn: I love the idea of training your body and your mind together, because they’re not separate. What you do for one directly impacts the other.
I recently read an article from Max Lugavere highlighting research that showed improving metabolic health through weight loss didn’t just benefit the body, it actually improved brain function and helped reverse aspects of cognitive aging. "In other words, what’s good for your body is profoundly good for your brain."
So no, we’re not telling you to throw away your phone or never watch TV again. But be intentional about what you give your attention to. It’s important to give your brain more moments of clarity, more opportunities to focus, and more reasons to hold onto something important. If you've been having trouble focusing, your brain just might be overstimulated.
Train your focus, take care of your body, and your memory will follow.
Seth: Tomorrow, set a timer for 30–45 minutes and pick one thing that actually matters. Put your phone away, remove the distractions, and focus on that task the entire time. Then see how much more you actually retain.
Carolyn: Attention is a choice. Make one better choice today.
Both: We’re working on this too. What’s one area of your life you want to be more focused in right now? Hit reply and let us know, we read every message.
See you next week,
Carolyn & Seth
The StoWicks
Quote of the Week:
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”
Plutarch
