The Science of Working Memory (And How to Outsmart Its Limits)

Learning doesn’t have to feel like a struggle. Chunking, scaffolding, and mapping are the shortcut your brain’s been waiting for.

Art by Anni Roenkae:

Were you ever told to "try harder" or "focus more," only to find it didn't move the needle?

That feeling of hitting a mental wall often isn't a failure of effort. It’s a predictable, unavoidable outcome of our cognitive architecture.

Decades of research in cognitive science, especially around Cognitive Load Theory show, our capacity for juggling new information in the moment (our working memory) is fundamentally constrained by our brain's wiring.

Trying to force more through this narrow channel just leads to frustration, mental fog, and that feeling of "I tried to get it, but it’s too hard." It doesn't lead to learning.

By understanding how learning actually happens—by building solid structures in your long-term memory—you can bypass the bottleneck without relying on willpower.

The next section gives you the exact framework I use (and teach) to make this shift—from juggling overload to deep, effortless knowing. If you're ready to stop feeling foggy and start learning smarter, keep reading.