Focus
Why seeing beats remembering: the science of visual planning
6 min read · Updated
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- People remember pictures better than words: the picture superiority effect is one of the most solid findings in memory research.
- Dual coding explains why: a picture is stored as an image and as words, so there are two ways back to it (Paivio).
- The idea of personal learning styles has little evidence; seeing helps almost everyone (Pashler and colleagues).
- Putting plans outside your head, visibly, frees your mind for thinking (Risko and Gilbert).
You've written the plan down. Somewhere. In a notes app, maybe, or the back of a notebook. And then you forgot it existed.
"I need to see everything. Lists just don't work for me."
There's a reason for that, and it isn't a lack of discipline. Your brain treats what it sees very differently from what it reads.
Do pictures really stick better than words?
Yes. This is one of the most solid findings in memory research.
- The picture superiority effect. In studies by Douglas Nelson and colleagues, people remembered pictures better than the same things written as words.
- Huge picture memory. Psychologist Lionel Standing showed people thousands of pictures, and they still recognised most of them later.
- Two codes are better than one. Allan Paivio's dual coding theory explains why: a picture is stored both as an image and as words, so there are two ways back to it.
A word gives your memory one hook. A picture gives it two.
Does that make me a "visual learner"?
Probably not in the way you've heard. The idea that people learn best in their own "style" (visual, auditory and so on) has very little evidence behind it. A well-known review by Harold Pashler and colleagues found no good support for teaching to learning styles.
What is well supported: almost everyone remembers pictures better than words, and almost everyone benefits from seeing things laid out. So you don't need a label. Seeing simply works for brains in general.
Everything in sight. On one board.
Tasks, notes, photos and plans as cards on one calm board. No charge today. Cancel anytime.
Start 7 days freeOr see all templates →Why do lists hide things?
Because a list shows one line at a time, all at the same size, in the same font.
- You can't see what belongs together
- You can't see what's big and what's small
- You scroll, and what's below the screen stops existing
That's also why you lose track: your working memory holds only a handful of things at once. More on that in why you lose track.
What does seeing a plan change?
When a plan sits in front of you, your brain doesn't have to hold it.
Researchers Evan Risko and Sam Gilbert call this cognitive offloading: putting information outside your head so your mind is free for thinking instead of remembering.
A visual plan adds something a list can't: shape. You see at a glance which part is full, which is empty, what's next to what.
How do I make my plans more visual?
You don't need to draw. Small changes do most of the work:
- One card per thing, not one long list
- A photo where you can: the place, the person, the goal
- Group by area: work, home, a trip, a project
- Colour by project, the same colour every time
- Keep it where you look every day, on your phone
Why keep it on one board?
Because seeing helps most when you see it all at once. Five apps with five pieces of your life never add up to one picture.
On one board, work, home and plans sit side by side. You look once, and you know where you stand.
Your visual planning starter
Screenshot this:
- One card per thing, not one long list
- A photo on the cards that matter most
- Group by area, one colour per project
- Everything on one board
- On your phone, where you look every day
Today, take your longest list and turn the three most important lines into cards. Add a photo to one.
Questions
Why do I remember pictures better than words?
Research on the picture superiority effect shows people remember images better than words, likely because pictures are stored both as an image and as words.
Am I a visual learner?
Learning styles have little evidence behind them. What is well supported is that almost everyone remembers pictures better and benefits from seeing things laid out.
Why do to-do lists hide things?
A list shows one line at a time at the same size, so you cannot see what belongs together, what is big or what is below the screen.
What is cognitive offloading?
Putting information outside your head, like on a card or board, so your mind does not have to hold it and is free for thinking.
How can I make my planning more visual?
Use one card per thing, add photos where you can, group by area, colour by project and keep everything on one board on your phone.
Sources
- Nelson, D. L., Reed, V. S., & Walling, J. R. (1976). Pictorial superiority effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, 2(5), 523–528.
- Standing, L. (1973). Learning 10,000 pictures. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 25(2), 207–222.
- Paivio, A. (1991). Dual coding theory: Retrospect and current status. Canadian Journal of Psychology, 45(3), 255–287.
- Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9(3), 105–119.
- Risko, E. F., & Gilbert, S. J. (2016). Cognitive offloading. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 20(9), 676–688.
Try it on your own board.
No charge today. Cancel anytime.
Start 7 days free