[When Your Brain Feels Like It's Going to Explode] | Cognitive Load and How to Manage It

You read materials, but nothing sinks in.
When you try to work on multiple tasks at once, everything ends up half-finished.
Even when you open a difficult book, you lose focus after just a few pages.

Have you ever experienced this feeling of your brain exploding?

The true nature of this overwhelming burden is cognitive load.

Our brains have a limit to the amount of information they can process, and when that limit is exceeded, both learning and work become inefficient.

By understanding the mechanism of cognitive load and managing it appropriately, you can dramatically increase your learning efficiency and make your daily information processing much smoother.

What is Cognitive Load Theory? The Brain's 'Work Desk' Has Limits

Cognitive Load Theory is a theory proposed by Australian educational psychologist John Sweller in the 1980s.

The core of this theory lies in the fact that the human brain has a limited workspace called 'working memory'.

Working memory is like a 'brain's work desk' for temporarily holding and processing information, and it can only handle about 7±2 pieces of information at a time.
(Please refer to the previous article for details.)

And, cognitive load is the 'burden' placed on this work desk.

When you try to solve complex problems,
when you try to understand new concepts,
or when you try to multitask,

the work desk overflows with information, exceeding its processing capacity.

This is the true nature of the feeling that your 'brain is going to explode'.

Sweller classified cognitive load into three types.

Intrinsic load is the load that arises from the complexity of the learning content itself.
Between memorizing multiplication tables and understanding calculus, the latter is inherently more complex and requires more cognitive resources.

Extraneous load is unnecessary load unrelated to the learning content.
It is caused by factors such as complex textbook layouts, inefficient instruction, or distracting background music and noise, which hinder learning.

Germane load is the 'good load' that deepens learning and promotes retention in long-term memory.
It occurs when connecting new knowledge to existing knowledge or when organizing information to find patterns.

When cognitive load exceeds processing capacity, information doesn't sink in, understanding becomes shallow, mistakes increase, and motivation for learning drops.

Conversely, if you can manage cognitive load appropriately, you can learn more deeply and efficiently in the same amount of time.

Practical Methods to Reduce Cognitive Load and Optimize Learning

Now that you understand Cognitive Load Theory, here are some concrete ways to actually apply it.

Reduce Extraneous Load: Eliminate Unnecessary Burdens

Simplify information
For example, in presentation materials or teaching aids, aim for "one slide, one message" and avoid unnecessary decorations or irrelevant images.
By keeping only the truly necessary information, you can significantly reduce the burden on your brain.

Avoid multitasking
Studying while doing other things or working on multiple projects simultaneously rapidly increases cognitive load.
The human brain is suited for single-tasking, and switching between tasks consumes cognitive resources.
Time management methods like the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of focus + 5 minutes of rest) are effective.

Organize your learning environment
Choose a quiet place, turn off smartphone notifications, and clear your desk.
These may seem trivial, but they have a significant impact on cognitive load.

In my case, due to my neurodivergent traits, I realize that considerations for sensory sensitivities (eliminating noise and managing lighting) determine my learning efficiency.

Learning design based on intrinsic load

Step-by-step difficulty adjustment
Instead of tackling difficult tasks right away, build up step-by-step from the basics. The order of basic problems followed by applied problems is important.
Through this "scaffolding," you can keep the amount of information processed at one time appropriate.

Activation of prior knowledge
Recalling related existing knowledge before learning new content makes understanding smoother.

By connecting it with "this is similar to the XX I learned before," you can lower cognitive load while increasing productive load.

Increasing germane load: For deep learning

Chunking information
By turning scattered information into meaningful groups (chunks), you can overcome the capacity limits of working memory.

Just as you remember a phone number in three chunks, organize learning content into related groups.

Building schemas
Incorporating new knowledge into existing knowledge structures promotes retention in long-term memory.
Explaining what you learned to someone else, creating diagrams, or linking it to other fields are all activities that increase productive load.

Cognitive load is a concept common to everyone, but how it is felt and how it is dealt with varies from person to person.

Understanding your own traits and setting up a learning environment and method that suits you is the best way to manage cognitive load.

Summary

Cognitive Load Theory is a powerful framework that scientifically explains "why the brain feels overloaded" and "how to learn efficiently."

Our brains havea limit to the amount of information they can process, and when that limit is exceeded, learning effectiveness drops sharply. However, by correctly understanding and managing cognitive load, you can learn more deeply and enjoyably in the same amount of time.

Reduce extraneous load (unnecessary load), appropriately adjust intrinsic load (essential complexity), and increase germane load (productive load).
Thisbalance of three is the key to learning optimization.

The perspective of cognitive load is useful in all situations, such as creating materials, disseminating information, and developing apps.

Design that considers the user's cognitive load is what creates "clarity" and "usability."

Thank you for sticking with me this far!

This was the 73rd installment of the Tamochi continuous posting project, [When Your Brain Feels Overloaded] | Cognitive Load and How to Manage It.

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