6 Tips to Reduce your Cognitive Load and Regain Attention
Cognitive load refers to the information that you are holding in your mind at any given moment in time. In order to enhance your focus, productivity and overall mental wellbeing, it is essential to reduce cognitive load, so that the full capacity of your mind is available to focus your attention on the task at hand.
Here are my six top tips to help reduce cognitive load and regain control over your attention.
1. Declutter Your Workspace and Digital Environment
Why? A cluttered environment leads to a cluttered mind. A cluttered environment (both physical and digital) can overstimulate the brain and increase the cognitive effort needed to process irrelevant information. It can be as simple as having a phone or book lie on your desk which reminds you of things you want or have to do, other than the task you are currently focusing on.
How? Make sure you keep your workspace clean and organized. Take a few moments at the beginning or end of your workday to declutter. On your computer, close unused tabs, organize files, and use tools like Trello or Notion to streamline digital information.
2. Take Regular Break to Reset Your Mind
Why? Your brain is not designed to focus on end without rest. If you are working continuously without breaks, your brain is becoming overloaded, which in turn reduces your productivity.
How? Take regular, short micro breaks throughout your day. If your calendar tends to get swamped easily, make sure you schedule them in ahead of time.
For bigger tasks, try the 90-minute rule: work in 90-minute focused blocks, then take a 15-20 minute break to refresh.
In the break you take, make sure you do things that are not mentally engaging, such as stretching, walking, or doing some jumping jacks. This will help you reset your mental focus.
3. Minimize Decision Making
Why? Did you know that making too many decisions can lead to decision fatigue, as every decision you make in a day taxes your brain?
How? It’s quite simple, reduce the number of decisions you are making in a day. What does that mean? For recurring tasks or activities, make decisions upfront or implement decision rules. Automating small decisions helps you save mental energy for more important choices. What I started doing some time back is planning meals two times a week, so that I don’t have to think about what I want to eat every single day. This was such a relief and reduced my cognitive load and thus gave me back capacity to put more attention in the things that I want to focus my time and energy on. Also establishing routine, e.g. a morning routine, can be a great way of automating the decision on how to start your day.
4. Use External Tools to Offload Tasks
Why? Like the working memory in your computer gets overheated and is slowing down when you are having too many things open and running on your computer, your mind is going in overdrive when you try to hold too much information in the working memory of your brain. Holding on to to-dos, reminders and tasks in your head, takes up precious mental space.
How? Use external tools to offload the mental burden. Write down the tasks in a planner or note book, or use apps like Trello or notion if you prefer to do this digitally. This way you can free space and capacity in your brain and focus your mental energy on creative or critical thinking.
5. Avoid Switching and Focus on Single Tasking
Why? Let’s be honest, multitasking is a myth. Instead of doing multiple things at the same time, your brain is actually switching between tasks constantly when you think you are multitasking. This takes a toll on your mental energy as your brain has to constantly refocus. So each time you are checking your mail and then switching back to the excel you were working on and then back to your Slack or Teams chat, your brain is using precious energy to get into each of those activities. This can easily lead to mental overload and reduce your overall productivity.
How? Try out single tasking which means focusing on one task at a time and completing it before you move to the next one. It can help to plan some focus time in your calendar if there are some bigger tasks you want to complete. You can communicate clearly with your team that you are not available at those times and shut of notifications to avoid interruptions.
6. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation
Why? Mindfulness can help you quiet the mental chatter, reduce stress and anxiety and improve focus. Also your brain learns to be ok with less stimulation which in turn increases your ability to hold your attention on a specific task at hand.
How? Take a moment between tasks or meetings to close your eyes, focus on your breath and your senses. What are you hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling and tasting. This will put you in the very moment, help you feel more centered and detached you from the cutter in your mind.
Summary
By applying these additional strategies, you'll create a more structured, clear, and less overwhelming mental environment, allowing for better focus and energy management throughout your day.