Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M0520

The 25/5 Rule

The 25/5 Rule
TechnicalHigh supportPhysics
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

List 25 things you want to do, circle the 5 most important ones. The remaining 20 are not 'to-dos' but 'avoid at all costs' items. Scaffolding role: eliminate distractions. Those 20 'secondary goals' are the biggest traps because they are attractive enough to divert your energy but not enough to achieve greatness. They must be physically isolated.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Eliminate distractions. Those 20 'secondary goals' are the biggest traps because they are attractive enough to divert your energy but not enough to achieve greatness. They must be physically isolated.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Based on 'opportunity cost' and 'attention scarcity'. Those 20 'secondary goals' are attractive enough but not enough to achieve greatness, and they are most likely to steal energy; defining them as 'avoidance items' rather than 'do later' psychologically and physically isolates distractions.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshal_of_the_Army_of_God_and_the_Holy_ChurchZH · Explicit
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