As human beings, we have a brain. Our brain is like a bottomless box. You can put things into it and there’s always room. But is it really true? What determines how effectively you can work or, more broadly, how effectively your team can work and solve problems?
The cognitive load theory developed by John Sweller is a measure that determines the amount of mental effort that is required to solve problems at work.
In other words, cognitive load determines how much we have to think about the problems we need to solve to solve them.
It turns out, dear reader, that our brain is not a bottomless box and can handle a finite number of problems in a certain period.
There are three types of cognitive load:
- Intrinsic – relates to fundamental problems with the task being performed, such as knowledge of the programming language you are using.
- Extraneous – related to the environment in which the task is to be performed, such as knowledge of the manual deployment process that requires running several commands.
- Germane requires special attention and learning something new to perform the task well, such as specific knowledge related to the task being performed, like knowledge of the business domain or an algorithm.
For teams to work more effectively, the internal cognitive load should be minimized and foreign cognitive load should be limited. Germane cognitive load should occupy us the most at work, as it is the actual work of problem-solving.
How to Reduce Cognitive Load
Minimizing internal cognitive load is possible through:
- selecting appropriate technologies.
- training
- recruitment
- pair programming
- initiatives that allow for knowledge exchange.
To eliminate the foreign cognitive load, one must focus on automation and avoid tasks that do not add any value. It is also important to limit distractions such as meetings where 90% of people yawn and emails that are only meant to be read and forgotten.
Another important issue is to ensure good UX documentation, clarity, and API contracts so that other teams and people who use your product do not have to strain their minds to understand how to use it.
Summary
The cognitive load theory allows you to determine how burdensome your work is. If you cannot perform your duties within the expected time frame and feel like you have too much on your mind, it is a sign that your cognitive load is too high. If you want to read more about cognitive load, I encourage you to read the book “Team Topologies.”
