How do we deal with cognitive overload?

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt that your head was filled to the top with information? Have there been times when you’ve had to suddenly stop your work because you couldn’t assimilate, understand, or process even a drop of the next piece of information that was bearing down on you?

If you answered yes to these questions, then you probably experienced what is known as cognitive overload.

This article will focus on cognitive overload in the work environment, with a peculiar focus on working in the Scrum methodology. Cognitive overload, which can result from excessive information or too many tasks to complete, can significantly affect productivity and job satisfaction. In addition to understanding the nature of the problem, I will also provide several suggestions and strategies for dealing with this common problem in the modern working world.

Before discussing cognitive overload, I will briefly describe cognitive psychology and cognitive processes. This will help you better understand the whole issue.

What does cognitive psychology do?

Cognitive psychology is a scientific field whose main focus is the study of the internal processes of our mind. It is a field that focuses on:

• how we perceive the world,
• how we process information,
• how we think,
• and how we make decisions and solve problems.

These processes are crucial to our daily functioning, so cognitive psychology is important in understanding human behavior. One of its components is cognitive processes.

Cognitive processes are complex, multidimensional mechanisms that allow us to process information from the world around us. These processes are responsible for our ability to learn, understand, remember, and use information, which is crucial to our daily functioning. They enable us to interpret and respond to situations, make decisions, and solve problems.

Now that we know the basics, let’s focus on the main topic: cognitive overload.

What is cognitive overload?

Cognitive overload is a term for the situation when we receive too much information or are forced to perform too many tasks at once. In such a context, our minds are overloaded, and our ability to focus, understand, and process data is greatly reduced. We cannot process all the information we receive efficiently, leading to decreased productivity and efficiency.

Many of us work in dynamic environments with rapidly evolving technologies. We try to keep up with this changing world. Therefore, I think it is easy for us to imagine or recall such a situation.

The work environment and its impact on cognitive overload

Let’s look at various work situations that can affect our cognitive overload.

• Multitasking – managing multiple projects or tasks simultaneously, which requires constant attention switching and increases cognitive load.
• Problem complexity – solving complex technical problems that require deep analysis and focus.
• Long hours – working under time pressure, often with overtime, which can lead to tiredness and overload.
• Problems and breakdowns – system failures or software errors that require immediate attention and resolution.
• Communication and coordination – sharing information with multiple stakeholders, including customers, managers, and team members.
• Pressure and expectations – high expectations for quality and timely delivery can pressure IT staff.
• Remote work – a lack of face-to-face contact with the team and difficulty in separating work life from private life.
• Rapid pace of change and constant learning – the constant need to update knowledge and skills to keep up with new technologies and tools.

Scrum and cognitive overload

Working within the Scrum framework can positively and negatively affect the cognitive overload of team members.

Among the positives, we can list:

1. Iteration – regular sprints allow work to be broken down into smaller, more manageable chunks, which increases focus and reduces overload.
2. Transparency – Scrum promotes open communication and knowledge sharing, which helps to understand goals and expectations.
3. Retrospectives – cyclical retrospectives enable identifying and resolving problems, which can reduce stress and overload.
4. Definition of Done (DoD) and Definition of Ready (DoR) – clear criteria for tasks help avoid ambiguity and uncertainty, reducing cognitive load. According to the Scrum Guide, DoD and DoR are not mandatory elements. However, they are often used, so I included them here.

And less positive aspects:

1. Multiple tasks – working on multiple tasks simultaneously can lead to distraction and overload.
2. Time pressure – short sprints can put pressure on delivering results quickly, which increases stress.
3. Backlog changes – frequent changes in priorities can cause the need to constantly adapt and process new information.
4. Daily/other meetings – while brief, daily meetings require regular progress updates, which can be stressful. Switching to the context of meetings.

The Scrum framework has the potential to both increase and decrease cognitive overload. The key to minimizing the negative impact is consciously applying Scrum practices, adapting processes to the team’s needs, and continually monitoring and improving working methods.

The Scrum Master and the team must know these challenges and work on strategies to minimize cognitive overload.

How can we help ourselves at work?

There are many methods of dealing with cognitive overload.

Let’s first address the elements to watch out for in connection with Scrum:

• Well-defined Backlog – making sure tasks are clearly described and prioritized. A well-defined Backlog also consists of scrum artifacts:
  • Product Backlog,
  • Sprint Backlog,
  • Increment

provide clarity on what’s done, what’s being worked on, and what’s left to do, which helps organize the work.

• Appropriate task size – large tasks can be overwhelming and challenging to manage. They can lead to uncertainty about:
  • where to start,
  • how to divide the work,
  • how do you estimate the time needed to complete them.

Breaking large tasks into smaller pieces can help reduce cognitive overload. This allows the team to focus on specific, doable steps, making planning and monitoring progress easier. Small tasks tend to be more specific and have clearly defined goals, which reduces uncertainty and allows for better focus. Additionally, they have a motivating effect on the team.

• Reduce multitasking – work on one task at a time rather than switching between multiple tasks. Despite taking many small tasks per sprint, it is not worth working on several simultaneously and switching contexts frequently. Finishing one task and switching to the next one is more efficient.
• Team Collaboration – with more difficult issues, especially in terms of cognitive overload, Scrum promotes working as a team, and collaboration between team members can be especially important.
• Sprint Planning – realistic planning of tasks for a sprint, taking into account the team’s cognitive capacity. Based on empirical experience and previous sprints, we are able to determine the team’s cognitive capabilities and plan the number of tasks in a sprint according to them.
• Appropriate organization of meetings – short, concise, and valuable – in other words, ensuring that each Scrum (and other) meeting brings value to the team’s work. It is worth ensuring that meetings do not run long and end at the scheduled time. For non-Scrum meetings, having a clear purpose and agenda (which the meeting participants know beforehand) is worthwhile.
• Retrospectives – regular retrospectives allow the team to analyze what works well and can be improved. This is a time to reflect on work processes and identify potential sources of overload so that they can be eliminated.
• Prioritizing tasks – techniques such as MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won’t have) help determine which tasks are essential to complete and which can wait. This allows the team to focus on the most important tasks, simultaneously reducing the information they must process. But there’s no need for more complicated techniques; a task list with specific priorities is enough. Writing down such a list will ease the burden on your mind and allow you to focus on completing tasks.
• Timeboxing – is a time management technique that involves allocating a fixed, limited amount of time to complete various tasks. This helps you stay focused and efficient while preventing you from getting too bogged down in details that can lead to overload. With a designated time, you can focus entirely on a topic and not switch between tasks (there is a separate designated time for the next task, already scheduled).
• Regular breaks – it sounds like an obvious thing, but it is hard to get away from the task. The Pomodoro method, a popular time management technique, can help. It involves working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break. These short breaks allow the mind to rest and recuperate, which is key to preventing cognitive overload.
• Information minimalism – this technique involves consciously limiting access to information. In practice, this can mean turning off notifications, working in blocks dedicated to specific tasks, or limiting the number of meetings.

In addition to this, we can also make several changes in our daily lives that will have a positive impact on feeling cognitive overload:

• adequate sleep,
• physical activity,
• a healthy diet,
• rest during weekends and vacations.

How do we deal with cognitive overload during learning?

Learning new things is a process that requires the involvement of various cognitive functions, such as:

• memory,
• attention,
• and problem-solving ability.

This can lead to cognitive overload, especially when the material is complex or trying to assimilate too much information simultaneously. On the other hand, regular learning and stimulating the brain can contribute to increasing our cognitive abilities and better coping with overload.

How can we make it easier to deal with a new subject?

1. Active learning – instead of passive reading, active note-taking, passive listening, questioning, and discussion, this can help you better understand and remember information.
2. Mnemonic techniques and interactive teaching methods – rhymes, acronyms, and visuals can make complex information easier to remember, as can games and group discussions.
3. Time management – scheduling regular, short study sessions instead of long marathons can help avoid overload.
4. Breaks – taking regular short breaks while studying allows you to rest and recuperate, which is key to avoiding cognitive overload.
5. Dividing the material – smaller tasks and division of material will make it easier to plan shorter and more effective study sessions. It will also keep a complex subject from seeming large and scary. In addition, it can act as a motivator as we watch our progress.

Summary

Managing cognitive overload requires a conscious approach to work and an openness to process change. Remember that every person is different, and different techniques may work for different people. Likewise, not everything will work for every organization. It is important to experiment and find the methods that best suit individual needs and the organization.

Sources

1. Maruszewski Tomasz, Psychologia Poznania. Sposoby rozumienia siebie i świata, Gdańskie Wydawnictwo Psychologiczne
2. Śpiewak Sławomir, Ziaja Joanna, Wpływ przeciążenia poznawczego na dostępność zasobów: efekt rozgrzania poznawczego
3. What Is Cognitive Overload?

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