Making the Case for Externalizing Thinking

“The brain organizes information in its own idiosyncratic way, a way that has served us very well. But in an age of information overload, not to mention decision overload, we need systems outside our heads to help us. . . . People at the top of their professions, in particular, use systems of attention and memory external to their brain as much as they can.” ~Daniel J. Levitan, The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload

Externalizing thinking is an essential process for creators, learners, and leaders. Done even half-heartedly, it works its wonders by moving what is in our heads out into the world so that we, and others, can see, shape, respond to, improve, and critique our ideas.