You are losing 83% of everything you learn within the first week.
Every book. Every seminar. Every podcast. Gone.
Most people call that a motivation problem. It is not. It is a system problem. And Steve Kahle has spent 30 years building the fix.
Steve Kahle is a 2x CEO, co-founder, fractional CIO/CTO, and author of Leadership Recall. In this conversation, he and George break down the forgetting curve, the CCR system (Capture, Catalog, Recall), and what it actually takes to stop bleeding knowledge and start turning what you learn into results.
What You’ll Learn In This Episode:
- Why you are losing 83% of what you learn in the first week and what the forgetting curve actually costs you
- The CCR framework: Capture, Catalog, Recall explained in full
- How to capture insights with near-zero friction using a single tool
- Why Notion is still the leader for cataloging your second brain
- What recall fitness is and how three to five minutes a day changes everything
- How Anki (spaced repetition and digital flashcards) bakes knowledge into long-term memory
- Why recall friction is something you want and how to calibrate it
Key Takeaways:
✔️83% of what you learn is gone within seven days. The University of Amsterdam confirmed it in 2015. This is not a motivation problem. It is a capture and recall problem.
✔️Time swiftly washes away the obvious. What is clear to you right now will not be clear in a week. Capture it the moment you feel the pull.
✔️Capture serves your future self. The note you leave needs enough context that when you open it three days later, you know exactly what it meant.
✔️The five-hour rule: one hour per day on outside learning. Allocate 10 to 15% of that to capturing and cataloging. Another 10 to 15% to recall fitness.
✔️Catalog with intention. Notion is still the leader. Build a personal vault with interconnected databases, not a dumping ground.
✔️Recall fitness is not a burden. It is a privilege. Three to five minutes a day in Anki will compound into a completely different level of authority and presence.
✔️If you hit 70% recall accuracy on your cards, you are in the Goldilocks zone. Not too easy, not too hard.
✔️Stop saying you are bad at remembering names. That is bad code. Replace it with: I am getting better at remembering names, and I am using a system to do so.
Timestamps & Highlights:
[00:00] — 83% of what you learn is gone within a week. Here is what to do about it.
[01:34] — The forgetting curve and what it robs from leaders and entrepreneurs
[04:04] — Defining recall and the move from excellent to elite
[07:47] — Why discipline and systems are the real gap, not memory ability
[09:00] — CCR introduced: Capture, Catalog, Recall
[10:30] — Capture: the email me app, Siri, and near-zero friction tools
[15:26] — Catalog: Notion, the Zettelkasten method, and your personal vault
[20:05] — Where recall fitness comes in and why nobody else is doing it
[23:34] — Mnemonics, chunking, and the story behind Steve's neighbor's sons
[28:39] — Common mistakes and friction points in each bucket
[36:38] — What recall fitness actually is and why it is a get-to, not a have-to
[40:49] — Anki explained: spaced repetition, self-quizzing, and 6,000 cards in flight
[47:09] — Recall friction defined and why 70% is the target
[53:31] — How to start: last 30 days inventory and a single deck
[57:52] — Tattoo wisdom: show up well, recall what matters, lead with excellence
Connect with Steve Kahle
He is a 2x CEO, co-founder, fractional CIO/CTO, and author of Leadership Recall. For over three decades he has built organizations, advised executives, and helped high-performance teams turn knowledge into execution.
Free Book (PDF and Audio): leadershiprecall.com
YouTube: youtube.com/@LeadershipRecall
LinkedIn: Steve Kahle
Tool mentioned: Anki - apps.ankiweb.net
Your Challenge This Week:
Go to leadershiprecall.com. Get the free PDF and audio book. Read the table of contents. If it energizes you, keep going.
Then open Anki and make one card today.
Follow George: @itsgeorgebryant
Work with George:
The Alliance — Community for entrepreneurs building the systems that compound.
1:1 Coaching — Limited spots. Apply at mindofgeorge.com/coaching-consulting/
Live Retreats — In-person experiences built for retention, execution, and results.
