Definition
Cognitive Load
The total amount of mental effort being used by your working memory at a given time, which has a hard practical ceiling.
Cognitive load is the mental capacity consumed by holding information, making decisions, and managing distractions simultaneously. Once that capacity is exceeded, performance on all tasks degrades, not just the newest one added.
Why it matters: many productivity failures are capacity problems, not motivation problems. Reducing open tabs, notifications, and undecided small decisions frees capacity for the work that actually matters.
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