After studying medicine for 6 years, I began using educational videos on Youtube to a much bigger extend. I somehow ended up with content for learning and memory.

I realized this is one of the most essential skills a human being can, well …, learn.

I watched some videos regarding active recall, problem-oriented learning etc. I realized again: I could have cut my time spent for learning during university in half, for sure.

Today, we will use a metaphor:

The Lion's Schedule: hunt in focused sprints, then rest, then hunt again.

Let’s start.

Most people I studied with at university had tons of time for studying. And we used it a lot. We spent whole days at the library. Reading, writing, and learning.

The idea behind it was simple: Volume, volume, volume. The more time you spent at the library, the more you will get done, which should result in better grades.

Usually, after 4-5 hours, you saw people sleeping on their books, yawning, going to the bathroom or bistro very frequently.

It became obvious: This doesn’t really work. Though tons of people I know just pulled through for the whole 6 years with this learning strategy.

And still today, a lot of my clients do the same thing: volume, volume, volume.

But, when you have a demanding job or business, kids and a family and/or maybe a life beside these two things, time becomes a very valuable resource.

In one recent coaching engagement, we introduced "Lion Blocks": 45-75 minutes of single-task work on one cognitively hard problem, followed by a 10-15 minute real break.

Within two weeks, the same person who was "too busy" to think had shipped an offer for a new position and many pressing emails for new clients, he had postponed for months—not because he worked more hours, but because he worked in cycles that match how his brain actually learns.

Here is how it works:

The science is surprisingly simple.

The sprint-rest-repeat idea is consistent with meta-analytic evidence on micro-breaks, spacing, retrieval practice, and sleep-dependent memory consolidation.

Here is The Lion's Schedule in neuroscientific terms:

1. Focus in sprints

Performance declines with time of task: Reaction times slow, errors and mind‑wandering increase, and underlying networks in right frontal and parietal cortex fatigue. With task-switching and interruptions your performance grows significantly poorer.

2. Rest with micro-breaks

A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis (22 samples, N=2335) found that micro-breaks significantly increased vigor (d=0.36) and reduced fatigue (d=0.35). Performance gains, at first, were small, but with longer practice in cycles (sprint - rest) this technique produced bigger results.

In short: micro pauses restore energy and mood reliably; for hard cognitive work you often need slightly longer or higher-quality breaks, not zero breaks.

3. Consolidation and make it stick

A 2021 meta‑analysis (45 reports) found that total sleep deprivation after learning impaired memory with a small–moderate effect (Hedges g ≈ 0.28), and sleep deprivation before learning had an even larger impact (g ≈ 0.62).

A comprehensive review and meta‑analytic work show that sleep supports hippocampus‑dependent consolidation, with slow oscillations, spindles, and hippocampal ripples coordinating reactivation of newly encoded memories.

A 2025 review shows that sleep reliably improves retention of previously learned material and often improves next‑day encoding.

Translation:

Here is how this can look in practice:

Before the day starts (or the evening before), ask:

“If I could only move one thing forward in the next 60–90 minutes, what would it be?”

For most leaders I recommend starting with 45–60 minutes, then moving up to 75–90 if it works.

Rules:

When the timer ends:

I explicitly don’t start with five sprints per day.

The first goal is one consistent Lion Block per day, three days per week.

For Resting:

Aim for regular 7–9 hours night sleep: meta‑analyses show that both pre‑learning and post‑learning sleep deprivation impair memory with small–medium and medium‑large effects.

After especially intense learning days, a 20–30 min nap or NSDR protocol can help downshift arousal and may enhance consolidation and later encoding.

That's it for this Saturday Sunday.

The next newsletter edition will come out on Saturday, the 20th of June 2026.

We will continue with a simple yet super powerful tool linked to the Eisenhower Matrix.

“Urgent vs. Important: The One Question That Changes Your Week"

Own it!

Yours,

Moritz

PS:

Can you rarely make time for physical activity or regeneration? Do youI feel emotionally unstable and have difficulties to stay calm under pressure? Is managing people emotionally and energetically draining for you?

If that sounds familiar, Mastering Emotions is for you. I began coaching in 2023. Since then, l've coached over 30 executives, entrepreneurs, and high potentials on building Emotional Intelligence and into becoming future leaders.

If you want to learn more about my coaching book an orientation call here: