Make Way for the Chunk
Chunking is critical to memory and habit formation. Here’s why.
Loading and unloading our Miele dishwasher is a daily chore I actually enjoy because of how these actions speak to my love of economizing space and time. Before you groan and close this tab, here me out. If loading the dishwasher is a game of Tetris, then unloading the dishwasher is a dance of speed – the latter which I attempt to do each morning in under a minute.
This is chunking in a nutshell. It is the brain’s tendency to conserve effort and reduce cognitive load whenever possible. “Left to its own devices,” writes Charles Duhigg on chunking, “the brain will try to make almost any repeated behavior into habit, because habits allow our minds to conserve effort.” Chunking can either be described as breaking down actions into smaller, easier to remember chunks (e.g. a 10-digit phone number grouped into 3-3-4 digit sequences), or as connecting related sequences together to comprise one whole activity (e.g. shampooing + conditioning + scrubbing = taking a shower).
The problem with conventional written instructions is that they obstruct the brain’s ability to, well, make chunks. Strings of information are communicated through words, which your brain spends considerable energy converting into visual and tactile actions. If you’re busy trying to decipher and execute one step at a time, it’s much harder for you to start creating mental categories and grouping related actions together. You can make a dish 25 times and still rely on the written recipe rather than create it from memory if your brain can’t turn complex actions into habituated and memorable categories.
Chunking frees up your brain such that you can:
Tackle novel or problematic situations. Duhigg says that when complex actions, like reversing your car out of the driveway, become a habit, your brain has more capacity to detect and act on things like a child chasing after a ball behind your vehicle.
Enhance performance and efficiency. As actions become more habituated, they become smoother and faster. The speed with which I can unload my dishwasher is a fraction of what it would take me to unload your dishwasher given my unfamiliarity with how you organize and categorize your spaces.
Problem-solve and innovate. Chunking facilitates pattern-recognition as individuals begin to recognize recurring themes or structures within the information. This ability to identify patterns enables us to make connections between, combine, and rearrange seemingly disparate sequences.
So how do you facilitate chunking? There are three things we do to facilitate chunking. First is, we do the actual chunking. On our progress bar, we section sequences into larger categories called “chapters” to get people thinking about the order in which groupings of actions are accomplished.
Larabee Progress Bar
Second, we invite context. As mentioned earlier, the problem with so many written instructions is that actions and sequences are devoid of explanation or meaning, perhaps because any extraneous information is seen as a distraction from getting the job done. Operating from the assumption that human beings seek out meaning, we serve up the answers to their “how,” “why,” and “what does it matter” questions when they’re needed most. These are critical elements that help chunking occur without effort.
Lastly, we encourage small moments that communicate to a person: this is a loop worth remembering. These can be little flourishes that tickle the brain, like a spritz of citrus emanating from an orange rind as a finishing touch. Rather than think of these additions and superfluous throwaways, we see them as tiny replicable actions that bring continuous delight.
Chunking is the invisible force behind optimizing memory and forming habits. Without it, complex actions remain complex actions. To me, that sounds exhausting.
