Mastering Mental Load:

Before diving into this topic, I want to provide some context. These posts come from my personal experience and struggles as a Business Analyst, Product Owner, and Solution Consultant. I don’t claim the authority of someone with a decade of formal psychological study. For those seeking a deeper, foundational understanding of decision-making and human behavior, I highly recommend two books: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman and Duped: Truth-Default Theory and the Social Science of Lying and Deception by Timothy R. Levine.

That said, I wouldn’t advise starting your journey with these titles. They’re incredibly dense more like drinking from a firehose than sipping from a fountain. A lot of popular business books draw from their insights and present the concepts in a digestible, story-driven way. However, if you ever feel ready to disrupt your existing thought patterns, they’re unparalleled. Personally, while reading them, I became so mentally occupied that I found myself losing my keys in bizarre places, completely breaking my well worn routine of dropping them in the conch shell by the door.

It’s worth mentioning that I wasn’t the “perfect student” in the early stages of my continuous learning journey. It wasn’t about ability it was about priorities. I liked people. I wanted to learn from them, with them, and around them. I craved going out, seeing what the day held, engaging with the world. Sitting alone in a dark room, systematically processing knowledge like a mushroom being fed a rich diet of facts? That was never my style.

Eventually, Like many of us have to do, I grew up and gravitated toward the tasks people tend to avoid as a means of attaining a higher value from my contribution, something I learned the value of from The Common Denominator of Success by Albert E.N. Gray. When I became a family man, I realized that balance was key. Still, I’ve been quietly hoping for AI to make face-to-face human connection and relational equity a cornerstone of progress again.

In my experience, the sharpest analysts often share a similar journey. They either:

• Start off people-driven and must learn focus, structure, and process to refine their craft, or
• Begin as deeply process-oriented individuals and eventually realize they need to make more human connections to break through to the next level.

My conclusion? At some point, if you want to make meaningful leaps forward, you’ll have to go against your own grain. Growth often demands that we push beyond our natural inclinations.

Understanding Mental Load

It’s hard to have this conversation without referencing others, so I need to highlight a key figure: John Sweller, the driving force behind Cognitive Load Theory. While I haven’t consumed his work directly, his concepts are frequently cited across learning and productivity research.

Cognitive Load Theory breaks mental load into three components:

• Intrinsic Load: The effort involved in understanding the inherent complexity of the task essentially filtering and segmenting your options.
• Extraneous Load: Unnecessary cognitive effort created by poor processes or distractions, which must be minimized to focus on specific, actionable choices.
• Germane Cognitive Load: The cognitive effort used to build meaningful frameworks and structures that help scale your learning, enabling processes to deliver maximum impact.

One way to increase mental load so that you can test your resillience and improve mental toughness is to maximize learning time around a full-time job. This is a very effective stresser, as increased load caused by work and the learning combined, decucted from your capacity nearly always leads to exhaustion, and to make things worse it chews into your recreational time. This combination creates the perfect storm for overwhelming the mind, even for the most exceptional individuals.

When you invest in education, you’re often paying for content that’s been optimized to simplify complex ideas. Ideally, significant time and attention have been spent designing a framework that allows you to achieve results faster than “figuring it out the hard way.”

This assumption falls apart when you realize that academics focus on creating content, but not necessarily its delivery. Programs marketed as “intensive” are a prime example: I now read this to mean, speed learning faster than the average student can consume. While this reduces the cost and time to deliver the content, it also increases cognitive pressure, and may or may not come with a discount to compensate you for getting to 80% and burning out before you really benefit from the coming together of the core concepts.

That being said, it was necessary for me to fail a number of times before I could find the true motivation to adopt more abstract frameworks to help me manage my mental load.

• The Business Analysis toolkit of processes was my first major success after earning my degree. This was a really effective foundation because although a lot of the tools could be considered abstract they target specific issues.
• Later, being introduced to the Agile framework transformed my approach. By applying sprints, where I first estimated the complexity, uncurtainty and effort of completing content followed by prioritization, and an inspect-and-adapt mindset to my learning roadmap, I finally began to see real, sustainable results.
• More recently I added a deep understanding of digital marketing and the dependencies that effect the framework known as funnels, which is a significant driver for using modern CRM functionality and for application interface integrations.

By combining a solid understanding of cognitive load with frameworks that match your learning capacity, you can unlock more consistent progress without risking burnout.

The Role of Cycles in Learning Capacity

Decision cycles are the repetitive processes your brain uses to filter, prioritize, and act on information. Much like a muscle, your decision-making capacity fatigues with overuse.

Modern advancements in fitness trackers are suggesting they can collect data that will help us better understand our daily cycle limits, currently this is just a concept that helps us visualize the finite energy and focus that we have to apply to the full range of tasks we need to accomplish in our daily lives, giving us ideas about when we might be at our peak or in decline for the day, which can significantly improve learning outcomes. Morning hours, for instance, often favor deep work and high-focus tasks, while afternoons might be better suited for review, practice, or creative problem-solving. Recognizing these natural rhythms allows you to align learning with capacity, reducing cognitive strain and improving retention but also it gives you a starting point to experimenting with a strategy.

• Batching decisions: Minimize decision fatigue by grouping similar tasks together.
• Prioritizing high-focus periods: Reserve peak cognitive hours for complex learning.
• Creating systems: Use frameworks like Agile inspired sprints to reduce decision load and maintain momentum.

By respecting these cycles, you give your brain the space to think, adapt, and truly absorb knowledge transforming learning into a sustainable, scalable process.

Leveraging Pareto’s Principle for Effective Learning (80/20 Rule)

When learning a new skill, it’s easy to get lost chasing perfection. Pareto’s Principle (80/20 Rule) shifts this mindset. Roughly 20% of your efforts often drive 80% of the results. For learning, this means prioritizing key concepts, tools, or techniques that deliver the biggest impact first. Understanding the critical layers early allows you to return later and build deeper mastery efficiently.

Take my 2024 learning journey as an example. I spent two decades prior this year absorbing fragmented Digital Marketing insights from YouTube videos, podcasts, and TED talks but lacked a holistic understanding. Certifying my knowledge became the turning point.

Identifying the Core Layer: Digital Marketing Strategy

Formal training connected the dots, showing me how tools depend on one another. I anchored my learning with this realization:

“All marketing works at a cost, but the smaller your margin, the more precise your efforts must be.”

I discovered how ambiguity or at least a lack of specificity in targeting audiences could become expensive. For instance:

• Hiring agencies without clear instructions doubles losses.
• Prep work is essential; pressing the button without focus leads to missed ROI.

Learning takeaway: Strategy first. It saves money and compounds impact.

The Next Layer: Cost and Conversion

• Problem-aware audiences are cheaper to convert than both unaware and solution aware.
• Retargeting visitors costs less than attracting cold prospects.
• Disrupting a market involves engaging both those familiar with existing solutions and those unaware of the problem altogether. This dual approach demands significant effort in education and persuasion, often leading to higher rejection rates and the associated challenges of persistence and resource allocation.
• Email marketing performs 80% better than social media – if done correctly.

To capitalize on this insight, I pursued an Email Marketing Specialist Certificate. It taught me:

• Permission over spam: Build relational trust before speaking in someone’s inbox.
• List hygiene: Quality lists need constant dynamic updating, aligned with the subscriber enegagement or lack there of.

Email became my next focus because it offered maximum return for minimum effort.

Building Out the Strategy

With trust-building and email systems in mind, my roadmap expanded:

• Landing Pages: I certified in Customer Value Optimization and Direct Response Copywriting to understand how to get started with converting traffic effectively.
• Content Strategy: Crafting high-value content to address customer pain points underscored the importance of maintaining authority within the need your product fits, cutting corners here could undermine credibility.
• Traffic Campaigns: While social media is effective, it often attracts users who aren’t actively seeking solutions to specific problems, making targeted campaigns essential for better engagement.

By layering skills methodically, I moved from fragmented knowledge to a scalable system. Each certificate removed clutter, clarified strategy, and reinforced results.

Key Takeaway

Learning in layers guided by Pareto’s Principle proved to be a pragmatic approach to growth for me, I will say that it felt un-scientific at times but still easier to implement than Bayes Laplace. Start with the core, anchor your understanding, and expand sequentially. Whether it’s marketing, technology, or leadership, the principle holds:

20% of what you learn delivers 80% of your success. Master that first.

My journey continues as I delve into Search Marketing Mastery and Funnel Optimization, advancing my learning path. Reflecting on my experience, approaching the content through the lens of a specific domain has been transformative. While the learnings are broad, filtering priorities through a sustainability focused perspective has sharpened their relevance. Should my domain shift, I envision revisiting these courses, tailoring insights anew to align with the unique demands of the evolving landscape.

Applying the "Underhand Strategy" in Learning

There comes a point when continuing to push on a single topic yields diminishing returns. When this happens, stopping temporarily isn’t failure it’s strategy. Rotating focus or revisiting topics later allows your brain to make connections in the background, consolidating learning in ways you may not immediately see. I make sure to ask myself the following when my journey starts to feel strained.

• Am I plateauing or burning out? whatever the answer, step backwards into the content and evaluate how it feels to repeat the last chapter.
• Have I mastered the “vital 20%” yet? If not, reinforce those basics before adding more complexity.

Learning flows tend to be steps learned in a sequence, however learning as a holistic activity for me feels cyclical, not linear. Progress often involves pushing hard, stepping back, and returning with new insights.

Fast and Slow Thinking in Learning

Daniel Kahneman’s ideas on "Thinking, Fast and Slow" provide another layer of insight.

• System 1 (Fast Thinking): Quick, intuitive, and automatic perfect for recognizing patterns or applying the basics you’ve already internalized.
• System 2 (Slow Thinking): Deliberate, effortful, and reflective necessary for tackling complex ideas, analyzing errors, and building deeper understanding.

While I won’t dwell too deeply on these concepts (as I couldn’t do them justice), I can share a little from my experience. During my years in field service, I was often tasked with troubleshooting reported problems. For familiar issues, I relied on System 1 drawing on pattern recognition and memory to quickly diagnose and resolve the situation.

However, when the problem proved more complex and time-sensitive, I didn’t have the luxury of learning a solution in real time. Instead, I would call into the Network Center, where experts guided me step-by-step to resolve issues in closed networks. Looking back, this was an invaluable experience: we were essentially daisy-chaining pattern knowledge across individuals, optimizing the flow of information to address the problem efficiently. For deeper, more effortful consideration (System 2 tasks), I could escalate the issue while continuing to focus on other pressing items on my schedule.

The most challenging part of balancing fast and slow thinking is focus shifting, especially on tough days. I would describe it as trying to change a rusty gear shifter; if I’m honest, I think my brain even makes the same grinding noise.

However, simply being aware of these thinking states isn’t enough to find balance. Awareness without structure leaves you stuck. This is where frameworks like Agile shine. Agile methodology explicitly addresses focus shifting through processes that safeguard time-boxed events (like sprints and standups) and emphasize performance optimization. With clear boundaries and structured workflows, you can protect your focus, minimize disruption, and make the most of both fast and slow thinking.

Embracing Frustration as Part of Growth

Frustration is often seen as a roadblock to avoid, but when managed effectively, it can become a catalyst for learning and growth. It signals that you’re operating at the edge of your abilities, where meaningful progress occurs.

When a concept doesn’t immediately ‘click,’ resist the urge to abandon it. Instead, pause and let the frustration guide you toward deeper inquiry. This momentary struggle often leads to sharper insights and a more profound understanding.

However, not all frustrations arise from challenges inherent to the work itself. Sometimes, they stem from interpersonal dynamics a person acting as a blocker, intentionally or unintentionally, to progress. These situations can feel uniquely draining because they go beyond intellectual effort, impacting emotional and mental energy. When the value you’re striving to deliver is effectively held hostage, the frustration intensifies, creating a cycle that risks leading to burnout.

As a Product Owner or a leader navigating these scenarios, stepping away is rarely a viable option. The responsibility to deliver value almost always circles back to you. This is where strategic themes become vital. They serve as your north star, providing clarity and a framework to address the blocker. Use them to craft a compelling case, aligning with stakeholders and decision-makers to resolve the issue without losing momentum.

Frustration, particularly when rooted in people, can be an unavoidable part of the process. But by approaching it strategically and aligning actions with overarching goals, you can mitigate its impact and continue moving toward meaningful outcomes without compromising mental resilience.

The Role of a “Strategic Shot Across the Bow”

In business, progress can stall, especially around handoffs where a lack of shared urgency or engagement can hang out. This slow "dripping tap into a bucket” mentality where progress trickles too slowly, risks draining the energy of everyone involved. Without deliberate intervention, frustration can build to the point of burnout, leaving you wondering if the “juice is worth the squeeze.”

This is where the concept of a “strategic shot across the bow” comes in. It’s not about losing control or throwing a tantrum; it’s about channeling your frustration constructively, showing your passion, and reminding others of the stakes. By sending a clear signal that the value must be released at a meaningful pace, you avoid the mental toll of simply enduring the grind.

Sometimes, you need to break the inertia with humor or pointed clarity: I don't deny that these type of situations are higher risk of damaging your personal brand but so is watching the value drain out of a product before its released effectively.

• “Are we waiting for the gravy train to park itself? Spoiler alert: It’s not even on the tracks yet!”
• “If we keep dripping progress into this bucket, the ROI will evaporate before we’ve even turned on the tap!”

These moments, when paired with purpose, can serve as a crucial release valve preventing frustration from escalating into exhaustion. It’s not just about venting; it’s about realigning focus and re-energizing the team.

To ensure the process remains productive, follow up with pointed, solution-focused questions:

• “What’s stopping us from moving faster to release value?”
• “How can we address blockers before they derail our momentum further?”

By engaging stakeholders with humor, purpose, and a sense of shared responsibility, you shift the conversation from passive waiting, to active problem-solving. This reduces the mental load of feeling trapped in stagnation, a common precursor to burnout.

At its core, the strategic shot across the bow is about reclaiming control. It’s about demonstrating your commitment to delivering value at a sustainable pace while protecting your mental and emotional well-being. After all, burnout doesn’t just arise from overwork the force multiplier stems from the sense that your efforts are being wasted or undervalued. By using these moments to reassert direction and urgency, you’re not only steering the team back on course but also ensuring you don’t lose yourself in the process.

Reflection: Transforming Frustration into Motivation

Frustration becomes valuable when you reflect on it. Ask yourself:

• What is the root cause of this struggle? (Lack of clarity, insufficient practice, or unrealistic expectations?)
• What have I learned in the process, even if I haven’t reached the outcome yet?

Sometimes the real value isn’t in mastering the task but in the focused time spent wrestling with it. Learning forces us to shine a light into the “dark corners” of our knowledge, revealing new pathways and expanding the horizon. What felt like a single peak often becomes a mountain range endless opportunities for growth that once seemed invisible.