The Idea
We often mistake a clean dashboard for a clear mind.
When your notes are too organized too quickly, your brain stops processing and starts recognizing. It feels efficient, but it kills the cognitive strain required to actually learn.
True learning requires the friction of confusion.
Try This:
The Friction Buffer Protocol
Most of us spend our energy formatting a note before we barely understand the idea. This protocol flips the ratio.
The Raw Capture: When you find a new idea, write it down in a single, unformatted block of text. No bullets. No bolding. We want zero input friction here.
The 24-Hour Lockdown: Leave the note alone for one full day. This is Artificial Latency. It forces your immediate “recognition” (short-term memory) to fade.
The Active Recall Test: Open the note and try to summarize the main point in one sentence without reading the full text first.
The Minimal Edit: Only apply formatting (bolding or lists) to the insight you successfully retrieved.
This forces your brain to reconstruct the logic instead of just scanning a pretty page. If it feels easy, you aren't learning.
A Spark
I am exploring the concept of Desirable Difficulty. It suggests that making the learning process harder (like delaying your formatting) actually improves long-term retention.
Until next time,
Gav.
