Consider this:
Your neural wetware is similar to technical hardware. Information processed by the brain can be calculated just like information processed by a computer - in bytes, in megabytes and gigabytes.
We are bombarded with about 74 GB of information every day. However, we can only consciously process 6 bytes (40-50 bits) of information per second. We have more information every day than the average person 500 years ago consumed in a lifetime.
What are the consequences of this information overload?
First, some background.
In the 1960s, Harvard psychologist George Miller discovered that the number of objects we can hold in short-term memory is 7 ± 2. Later, John Sweller, a professor emeritus at the University of New South Wales, took it a step further – finding a key concept; cognitive load.
Cognitive load refers to the amount of information we hold in working memory at any given time.
Do you know when you are using your computer and it starts spinning? You're writing an email, and the text appears a few seconds after you type it. Websites take longer to load. You get the terrifying “pinwheel of death.”
This also happens in our brains. Figuratively speaking, your brain has a limited amount of RAM - working memory. The higher the cognitive load, the more RAM is used up. Your brain will slow down, your ability to learn will plummet, and your concentration will suffer. you have little left Attention resources—such as focus and creativity—to devote to your priorities.
On the other hand, the lower the cognitive load, the easier it is to enter into a flow state.
Flow occurs only when all our attention is focused on the present moment. That's what flow triggers do: Neurologically, they increase focusing chemicals -- such as dopamine and norepinephrine -- or they reduce cognitive load.
This means that the creative breakthroughs your brain can generate are already there waiting to emerge — but buried under cognitive chaos.
good news? Just as tech hardware can defragment, so can our neural wetware. We can lighten the load and restore our intellect to achieve our toughest goals.
Here's our 5-step attack plan to reduce cognitive load: