The Organised Mind: Chapter 2 - How Attention and Memory Work

Key points:

1. *How Attention Work:*

4 main components: – Brain wandering mode – Central executive (like, the really concentrated-on-the-task-at-hand mode) – Attention filter – Attention switch (switching from one thing to another):

Other takeaways: Conscious to sub-conscious is more of a continuum than two distinctive modes, so it is not entirely correct to say attention switch operates on a subconscious level.

2. How Memory Work: It's more fallible than we would like to think.

key principles: – Memory retrieval requires our brains to sift through multiple, competing instances to pick out just the ones we are trying to recollect. This is why it is difficult to remember things if there are many similar instances.

Evolutionarily, it makes sense for us to remember unique or distinctive events because they represent a potential change in the world around us or a change in our understanding of it; need to register these in order to maximise our chances for success in a changing environment.

How can we make things distinctive and memorable to improve memory efficiency?

If something evokes our emotions, it is easier to remember, i.e. makes memory retrieval quicker and easier, BUT DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE MEMORY RETRIEVAL WILL BE MORE ACCURATE.
Primacy effect: first things first
Associative effect: memory retrieval by association

3. How We Categorise: Optimising in the Cognitive Economy – based on gross/fine appearance – functional equivalence – conceptual categories that address particular situations: e.g. wallet, cash, jewelry, family dog – “things I'll take with me in the event of fire”

Categories can be solid (“mammal”) or fuzzy (“friendship”).

Workable advice: 1) Pen and paper are better than digital alternatives 2) Categorise your tasks according to whatever categories you like, e.g. – Do it – Delegate it – Defer it – Drop it

Principles:

Two minutes rule: for minute tasks that takes less than 2 minutes to accomplish, just do them; not worth the effort jotting them down anyway. Set a side 30 min block of time per day just to take care of these trivial matters, as they can get overwhelming if we allow them to accumulate.——Get your shit together but do not 积屎成山.
Every time I go through the list, I will come up with new tasks that will move the project forward.