id: 1411,3
title: Developing complex thought requires externalization.
date: 2022-08-27

Developing complex thought requires externalization.

Mental capacity is quite constrained which prevents people from drawing relationships effectively when there are many components involved—most of the map needs to be delegated to an outside system so one small group of thoughts can be processed in relative isolation.rA2 Time management strategies usually require capture because an entire life’s worth of projects and responsibilities is too much to process in-brain. Complex decisions therefore benefit from externalization, especially visual, so the mind can focus just on the decisions. Brainstorming is another example of this in action. This notion is the foundation of knowledge management.

  1. ↩

    Sönke Ahrens, How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking: For Students, Academics and Nonfiction Book Writers (North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace, 2017). (See notes.)