The Hidden Science of Getting Better

Malcolm Gladwell made 10,000 hours famous. And his oversimplification has been widely reported on. But intentional, deliberate, self reflective practice of anything, not just physical activities - including our attention and mood - can make us better. And the benefits keep coming. While the gains from “practice” might slow as we get better I am convinced they do not plateau.

In This Edition

1. Brain Health News

2. Brain Hack of the Week

3. Reflections from the OR

4. The Anterior Cingulate Cortex

5. Final Thoughts

🧠 Reading Your Way to a Sharper Mind

Want to keep your brain young? Pick up a book or read an article - it's that simple, according to new research.

Good news for bookworms and article readers - your hobby isn't just fun, it's keeping your brain healthy. A new study from Stanford University shows that people who regularly read and do math tasks stay mentally sharp as they get older. This research, led by Professor Eric Hanushek, gives us real proof that using our brains actively helps fight against mental aging.

The study looked at German adults between 16 and 65 years old over 3.5 years. What they found was pretty cool - people who kept reading and doing number work didn't show the usual signs of mental slowdown that we often expect with age. In fact, many people's brain skills actually got better in their forties!

Here's something interesting - women's math skills seemed to drop more quickly than men's. This raises questions about whether this has to do with biology or if it's more about society and education choices.

The best part? You don't need fancy brain-training apps or expensive programs. Just reading everyday stuff like articles, emails, or doing basic math can help. It's like going to the gym, but for your brain. And just like exercise, the key is making it a regular habit.

Want to make reading work for you? Start small - set aside 15 minutes each day to read something new. Mix it up with different types of reading material. Join a book club or discussion group to make it more fun. You could even start writing about what you read - it doubles the brain workout!

Think about it - when you read, you're not just taking in information. You're building vocabulary, thinking critically, and reducing stress all at the same time. It's like a three-for-one deal for your brain.

Looking ahead, this research suggests we might need to change how we think about getting older. Maybe mental decline isn't as unavoidable as we once thought. By staying curious and keeping our minds active through simple activities like reading, we might be able to stay mentally sharp well into our later years.

Learn more about how math and reading protect your brain

TLDR:

• Regular reading and math help maintain brain function as you age

• Study shows mental skills can improve in your forties

• No fancy tools needed - everyday reading and math work great

• Women's math skills decline faster than men's

• Simple daily habits like reading articles can make a big difference

• Group activities like book clubs can boost benefits

• Mental decline might not be inevitable with regular brain exercise

Daily News for Curious Minds

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The 20-Second Rule for Distraction

In his book on habit formation, author Shawn Achor found that adding just 20 seconds of delay to a bad habit (like picking up your phone) significantly reduced how often it happened.

Make your focus tools 20 seconds easier to start.

• Keep your notebook or to-do list open.

• Launch your deep work app before you get distracted.

• Preload a brain-boosting playlist or timer.

And at the same time—make distractions 20 seconds harder.

• Sign out of social media.

• Move your phone out of reach.

• Use website blockers with a delay to override.

The easier it is to start focusing—and the harder it is to break it—the more often your brain will default to deep work.

Reflections from the OR

In surgery, we often talk about mastering complexity—handling chaos, adapting in real time, making split-second decisions. But there’s another kind of mastery that’s quieter, more deliberate, and often overlooked: doing the same thing over and over until it becomes art.

One of my partners performs nearly 800 tubular spinal decompressions a year. No fusions. No scope creep. Just relentless refinement of a single procedure.

On the surface, it's a "simple" case. Many surgeons walk out of residency feeling comfortable with it. But watching someone who has lived in that niche—who has made it his craft—reveals how much room there is to grow beyond "good enough."

Shorter operative times. Lower blood loss. Fewer complications. Smoother recoveries.

That’s the power of hyperspecialization and deliberate practice.

But there’s a tradeoff. The more specialized you become, the harder it is to see outside the lens you’ve mastered. You start looking at every patient as if they need your solution. When you’ve spent 10,000 hours with a hammer... it’s easy to mistake everything for a nail.

In the OR—and in life—specialization is how we improve. But it’s generalization that helps us adapt.

The sweet spot? Master something deeply, but keep enough curiosity to know when it’s time to learn something new.

The Anterior Cingulate Cortex: Your Brain’s Internal Coach

Ever wonder how your brain knows when you're slipping, even before you do?

During deliberate practice, the ACC lights up when outcomes don’t match expectations. It flags mistakes, fuels corrective action, and helps encode what not to do next time. It’s especially active when you’re learning something new or trying to refine a skill at the edge of your comfort zone.

In short, the ACC isn’t just reacting—it’s guiding improvement. It’s your brain’s built-in feedback system, helping you course-correct in real time.

And yes—elite performance relies on it.
Even surgeons, athletes, and musicians show higher ACC activation during challenging, high-focus tasks.
The more you practice with intent, the more refined the ACC’s signals become.

Final Thoughts

Doing something 1,000 times doesn’t improve it. Doing it deliberate and reflective can though. We don’t need to be self critical in being reflective but being intentional and recording what works and what doesn’t can make us sharper and better.

Stay sharp,

Colin