The Psychology Of Productivity: Why Unfinished Work Is Hard To Ignore
PUBLISHED
Jul 18th, 2022
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clarigenz.com
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The Psychology of Closure
Your brain is hard-wired to desire closure. This is why cliff-hangers in books and movies are so effective. Your brain wants to know what happens next, even if the plot isnʼt enthralling to you. The same psychological trigger works when it comes to checking off to-dos. Your brain will naturally focus more on unfinished tasks because of its biological desire to experience that sense of relief.
The Zeigarnik Effect
Russian psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik first uncovered the mental process behind the draw to unfinished tasks while sitting in a busy restaurant. She realized that waiters had an easy time remembering orders when a bill was left open, but once it was closed they struggled to recall any of the dinerʼs information.
This effect (now called the Zeigarnik Effect) describes how our short term memory deems any unfinished information as more important, and is a useful hack when it comes to beating procrastination and checking off a list of tasks.
How It Works
When your brain senses that something is unfinished, it files that information into your short term memory. There, the information repeatedly circuits until your brain receives closure. This is why you often find yourself thinking of tasks youʼve started but not completed.
Through the process of repeatedly recalling information from your short term memory, it can be stored in long term memory.
How to Hack the Zeigarnik Effect
So how can you use the Zeigarnik Effect to boost your memory and become more productive? Its quite simple, but it may seem counterintuitive at first. The Zeigarnik Effect is triggered by unfulfillment. This means starting a task, but not finishing it in the same session. So, for example, if you are studying for an exam, working in multiple shorter periods of time is actually more beneficial to memory retention than cramming a study session the night before. And when it comes to your endless to-do list, starting a task, even if you leave it unfinished, will automatically pull it to the forefront of your mind and make you more inclined to return to it.
Try It Yourself
To see the direct impact of the Zeigarnik Effect, follow these three simple steps:
1. Choose 2 of your most important tasks for the week
2. Start each tasks, but only work on them for 10-15 minutes
3. Take a break from the task, and notice how your mind continues to return to them and heightens their importance.
This is a great tool to use for serial procrastinators. By simply starting a task (even if itʼs reading 1 page of a book, or writing one paragraph in a paper), your mind will be triggered to return to that task more often.
Need an extra kick of motivation for those really intensive tasks? Combine the power of the Zeigarnik Effect with Clarigenz Focus Plus+!
Clarigenz Focus Plus+ is an all natural focus booster, than will enhance your cognitive process, unlock complete and total focus, and leave you feeling driven and motivated with NO side effects.
Click the button below to learn more about Clarigenz Focus Plus+, and make sure to let us know if the Zeigarnik Effect makes a difference for you!
TRY CLARIGENZ FOCUS PLUS+Further Reading...
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Never Leave A Task Unfinished Again
PUBISHED
Jan 4th, 2022
IN
clarigenz.com
SHARE
The Psychology Of Closure
Your brain is hard-wired to desire closure. This is why cliff-hangers in books and movies are so effective. Your brain wants to know what happens next, even if the plot isnʼt enthralling to you. The same psychological trigger works when it comes to checking off to-dos. Your brain will naturally focus more on unfinished tasks because of its biological desire to experience that sense of relief.
The Zeigarnik effect
Russian psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik first uncovered the mental process behind the draw to unfinished tasks while sitting in a busy restaurant. She realized that waiters had an easy time remembering orders when a bill was left open, but once it was closed they struggled to recall any of the dinerʼs information.
This effect (now called the Zeigarnik Effect) describes how our short term memory deems any unfinished information as more important, and is a useful hack when it comes to beating procrastination and checking off a list of tasks.
How it works
When your brain senses that something is unfinished, it files that information into your short term memory. There, the information repeatedly circuits until your brain receives closure. This is why you often find yourself thinking of tasks youʼve started but not completed.
Through the process of repeatedly recalling information from your short term memory, it can be stored in long term memory.
How to hack the Zeigarnik effect
So how can you use the Zeigarnik Effect to boost your memory and become more productive? Its quite simple, but it may seem counterintuitive at first. The Zeigarnik Effect is triggered by unfulfillment. This means starting a task, but not finishing it in the same session. So, for example, if you are studying for an exam, working in multiple shorter periods of time is actually more beneficial to memory retention than cramming a study session the night before. And when it comes to your endless to-do list, starting a task, even if you leave it unfinished, will automatically pull it to the forefront of your mind and make you more inclined to return to it.
Try it yourself
To see the direct impact of the Zeigarnik Effect, follow these three simple steps:
1. Choose 2 of your most important tasks for the week
2. Start each tasks, but only work on them for 10-15 minutes
3. Take a break from the task, and notice how your mind continues to return to them and heightens their importance.
This is a great tool to use for serial procrastinators. By simply starting a task (even if itʼs reading 1 page of a book, or writing one paragraph in a paper), your mind will be triggered to return to that task more often.
This means youʼll be more driven to check off your lengthy list of to-dos, and less inclined to leave tasks for later!
Need an extra kick of motivation for those really intensive tasks? Combine the power of the Zeigarnik Effect with Clarigenz Focus Plus+!
Clarigenz Focus Plus+ is an all natural focus booster, than will enhance your cognitive process, unlock complete and total focus, and leave you feeling driven and motivated with NO side effects.
Click the button below to learn more about Clarigenz Focus Plus+, and make sure to let us know if the Zeigarnik Effect makes a difference for you!
TRY CLARIGENZ FOCUS PLUS+Follow Us:
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