The big idea
🎛️
Everything must fit through a very small door
Long-term memory has no practical limit. Working memory holds a handful of items for seconds.
Learning How to Learn · Lesson 3
Attention Is a Limited Resource
beginner⏱ 17 min · 7 cards
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Trim the Load
“A diagram whose labels sit in a legend below, so you hold the mapping in mind.”
What kind of demand is this, and what should you do about it?
Decide which demands to remove and which to keep.
Compare
Two kinds of demand
Extraneous
Added by presentation
Tap.
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Germane
The work of understanding
Tap.
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A poorly organised resource is not merely annoying; it is eating the capacity you need to learn.
Key term
Why experts find it easy
Does expertise mean a bigger working memory?
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Chunking
No — the limit is unchanged. What fits in one slot has grown. A beginner sees characters; an experienced programmer sees a loop.
Nuance
Not discipline
Maester Note
There is no multitasking for demanding work, only switching, and each switch costs. Studying beside a phone failing is structural, not a character flaw.
Quick check
What is the difference between performance and learning?
You did it
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