Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M2639

Bricolage

Bricolage
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

The ability to solve problems by using the limited materials at hand (regardless of their original purpose) through temporary repair and combination. It is distinguished from the engineer's approach (which starts with a blueprint and then finds materials).

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Hacker spirit: In the early stages of entrepreneurship, you don't have perfect resources. You must act like a "bricoleur" and piece together an MVP using existing APIs, open-source code, and Excel spreadsheets. Innovation often involves recombining old elements.

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Anchor fast decisions

Bricolage refers to the juxtaposition and combination of heterogeneous materials to create new meaning, and is a common creative and thinking technique in postmodernism. It generates new associations through rupture and juxtaposition, and also challenges single narratives.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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