The state of flow seems so effortless, yet most tasks involving working memory seem so hard. Remembering a bunch of numbers is just as demanding when you’re in a state of flow, as when you’re not.
It’s not that in a state of flow, working memory suddenly requires less effort. It does not. What’s different is that in a state of flow, working memory is:
(a) fully engaged in the task at hand, and
(b) not overwhelmed by the demands placed upon it.
But, most often in life, neither of these conditions holds:
(a) we’re constantly being pulled in different directions, and
(b) our work practices place excessive demands on working memory.
For all its power, working memory is a cognitive bottleneck.
Our practices often wear down this scarce resource, wasting much of it in unproductive overhead, exacerbating the impact.
And the biggest offenders are the interrupts.
