#### utilizing external scaffolding lessens the cognitive burden --- [[A good system allows you to get everything out of your head relieving you of the burden of remembering and tracking it all]]. This is a great example of an external scaffolding for your brain to outsource the cognitive load of task management and idea capture. These external scaffolds and structures that free up cognitive resources and allow the brain to spend more time creating ideas and less on remembering and managing them are a boon for those in knowledge work. A [[Zettelkasten]] is a great example of an external scaffolding that is basically a scaffolding for thoughts and ideas that once set up help you reduce the cognitive load of idea linking and connection because after initial setup its established and reference-able when actually performing the act of writing. This allows for a reduction in the friction for the act of writing as the ideas flow as they've already been linked and established in the [[Zettelkasten]]. This is a great example of setting your environment up for success^[[[A well established environment makes reliance on self control discipline and willpower unnecessary]]]. With systems like this that function as external scaffolding for thought, this doesn't mean that it is any easier that just thinking, you still need to develop it and perform the hard work of thinking. The workflow at a macro level might look akin to this: _Read --> Understand --> Think --> \[\[Notate\]\]_ You basically front load the work of thinking when making notes for the [[Zettelkasten]] and reduce the amount of novel idea generation while performing the task of writing. Knowledge is not the rote memorization of facts or words but the interconnectedness of those ideas in a latticework that circumvents the inhibition mechanism of our brain to selectively forget information to allow us space also for abstract thinking. Making sure the right cues trigger the right memory --- Tags: [[Productivity]] - [[Zettelkasten]] - [[Psychology]] - [[Writing]] - [[Note Taking]] - [[Knowledge Formation]] - [[Learning]] References: [[{ 2020-09-09 How To Take Smart Notes]] Related: