Your Brain is a CPU, Not a Hard Drive. So is AI.
Most people walk around with 50 mental tabs open. They are exhausted, not because they are working hard, but because they are "holding" too much. AI has the same problem.
We use our brains to store ideas instead of processing them. We do the same with AI. It’s time to close the tabs.
Inspiration: Realizing that my best ideas happen in the shower and vanish by the time I dry off, and noticing that LLMs get "stupid" when the chat history gets too long.
The human brain has a fatal flaw: Working Memory.
It can only hold about 4 to 7 items at once. Trying to "hold" an idea (e.g., "remember to buy milk") burns cognitive load. It’s like keeping a browser tab open in your brain. It slows down your processing power for new ideas.
David Allen said it best: "Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them."
If you don't write it down, your brain creates an "Open Loop" (The Zeigarnik Effect) that causes anxiety and reduces IQ.
The AI Parallel: The Context Window Trap
An LLM works the same way. It has a Context Window (its working memory).
Users try to keep everything in one giant chat session.
The Consequence:
- Latency: The model has to re-read the entire history every time you prompt it. It gets slower.
- Accuracy: It starts to "hallucinate" or forget early instructions because the signal-to-noise ratio drops.
- Cost: You are burning tokens (money) just to remind the AI of who you are.
The "Stateless" Strategy
The solution for humans is Journaling. Externalize the thought immediately so the CPU is free to process the next one.
The solution for AI is System Prompts & Memory.
Don't make the AI "remember" the context in the chat. Build a "System Prompt" (a distinct file) that holds the core context. Treat every chat as a fresh "session" focused on execution, not storage.
The Synergy: Cognitive Offloading
Here is the workflow:
- Generate: Use your brain to spark the idea.
- Capture: Immediately dump it into the AI (Voice Mode is great for this).
- Refine: Let the AI structure and store it.
- Clear: Your brain is now empty and ready for the next spark.
You are using the AI as the Hard Drive and your brain as the Processor. This is the ultimate "Cyborg" workflow.
Future Predictions: The Extended Mind
With Neuralink and high-bandwidth BCIs (Brain-Computer Interfaces), we won't need to "write it down."
The offloading will be automatic. The "Hard Drive" will be in the cloud, but it will feel like it's in your head. Our biological working memory (the bottleneck of human intelligence) effectively becomes infinite.
Conclusion: Close the Tabs
Most people walk around with 50 mental tabs open. They are exhausted, not because they are working hard, but because they are "holding" too much.
My Call to Action: Close the tabs. Write it down. Let the machine carry the weight so you can fly.
