Named after Dr. Bluma Zeigarnik.
While sitting in a busy restaurant in Vienna, she noticed the waiters had better memories of unpaid orders vs. paid ones.
Once the bill was paid, they struggled to remember the exact details of the orders.
But why?
You know how having too many open Chrome tabs bogs your computer down?
The same happens to your brain.
Unfinished tasks keep "running" in the background.
It's called the Zeigarnik Effect.
Here's how it works and what to do about it:
🧵
Named after Dr. Bluma Zeigarnik.
While sitting in a busy restaurant in Vienna, she noticed the waiters had better memories of unpaid orders vs. paid ones.
Once the bill was paid, they struggled to remember the exact details of the orders.
But why?
Like a to-do list, once we finish a task, our brain checks it off the list to free up mental bandwidth.
The more unfinished tasks, the more resources our brain dedicates to keeping track of them.
We keep reading/watching to find out what happens next because our brains are driven to seek closure.
Once resolved, we can forget and move on.
Until then, we lean in with rapt attention.
What most call "multi-tasking" is actually task-switching.
The ZE is one reason we suck at it.
When we're doing something and get interrupted, our brain keeps that "tab" open—draining our CPU.
Aka, they drown in unfinished tasks.
So the ZE keeps their brains bogged down, poorly focused, and stressed.
They can't let things go.
For many of us, bedtime is the one time we're not surrounded with distractions.
So our brain goes into overdrive refreshing and resurfacing all the tabs we've kept open throughout the day.
To-do lists are never-ending. Like fighting a hydra, for every task you complete, two sprout in its place.
A Needle Mover list only has the 1-3 highest ROI tasks for the day. Easier to remember, track, and complete.
The more tasks and info you can offload, the fewer your brain will have to constantly monitor.
You don't build a Second Brain to remember.
You build it so you can forget.
The Zeigarnik Effect unintentionally forces our brain to dedicate more memory and attention to unfinished tasks.
So if you want to improve your focus and free up your memory, minimize and offload unfinished tasks.
So follow me @CoreyWilksPsyD for more.
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Please add your own.
2/ The Magic Question: "What would need to be true for you
3/ On evaluating where someone’s head is at regarding a topic they are being wishy-washy about or delaying.
“Gun to the head—what would you decide now?”
“Fast forward 6 months after your sabbatical--how would you decide: what criteria is most important to you?”
4/ Other Q’s re: decisions:
“Putting aside a list of pros/cons, what’s the *one* reason you’re doing this?” “Why is that the most important reason?”
“What’s end-game here?”
“What does success look like in a world where you pick that path?”
5/ When listening, after empathizing, and wanting to help them make their own decisions without imposing your world view:
“What would the best version of yourself do”?
Please add your own.
2/ The Magic Question: "What would need to be true for you
1/\u201cWhat would need to be true for you to\u2026.X\u201d
— Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) December 4, 2018
Why is this the most powerful question you can ask when attempting to reach an agreement with another human being or organization?
A thread, co-written by @deanmbrody: https://t.co/Yo6jHbSit9
3/ On evaluating where someone’s head is at regarding a topic they are being wishy-washy about or delaying.
“Gun to the head—what would you decide now?”
“Fast forward 6 months after your sabbatical--how would you decide: what criteria is most important to you?”
4/ Other Q’s re: decisions:
“Putting aside a list of pros/cons, what’s the *one* reason you’re doing this?” “Why is that the most important reason?”
“What’s end-game here?”
“What does success look like in a world where you pick that path?”
5/ When listening, after empathizing, and wanting to help them make their own decisions without imposing your world view:
“What would the best version of yourself do”?
