"Lingering tasks make us feel bad. The Zeigarnik effect, first documented by psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik a century ago: explains that unfinished tasks stick in memory better than completed ones, creating a cognitive burden and potential anxiety trigger. Research shows that incomplete tasks cause rumination and might even disrupt sleep patterns. We also have a natural drive to finish what we start, because abandoning tasks feels"
"Because we resist giving up, we carry unfinished tasks like weights on our shoulders. But why don't we complete them? While procrastination plays a role, the real reasons are often more nuanced. Some are psychological, and some are practical. Here are the most significant obstacles, along with strategies that might help you to overcome them. Daunting Tasks Starting a new project is exciting, and the dopamine boost of embarkment often makes you overweight the benefits and underestimate the costs."
Unfinished projects create cognitive load because incomplete tasks remain salient in memory (Zeigarnik effect) and cause rumination and disrupted sleep. A related drive to finish tasks (Ovsiankina effect) makes abandonment feel like defeat, increasing discomfort and inaction regrets. Procrastination, underestimating effort, fear of judgment, and unclear next actions commonly prevent completion. Breaking projects into concrete next steps reduces overwhelm and makes progress achievable. Evaluating whether a project still serves current goals allows deliberate abandonment when appropriate. Active decisions to either commit resources to completion or to quit lower cognitive burden and free attention for higher-priority work.
Read at Psychology Today
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