Our working memory capacity is finite, which means that we can only hold and process a limited amount of information at once, and we can only hold on to that information for a short period of time. As a result, we need to find strategies to cope.
One such strategy is cognitive offloading. This is ‘the use of physical action to alter the information processing requirements of a task so as to reduce cognitive demand.‘1
You use cognitive offloading as a strategy when you write a shopping list, count on your fingers, or set a reminder in your calendar.
One of the ways cognitive offloading is commonly used is by making external representations of internal ones. Writing down your shopping list is an example. Sketching out a map instead of memorising directions is another.
