The Zeigarnik Effect is a psychological phenomenon that shows our brains tend to focus more on unfinished tasks, resulting to a better recall than completed ones. It can be a powerful tool to enhance motivation and productivity.
Named after the Russian psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, the Zeigarnik Effect is an observation about human memory and attention. According to her observation, individuals often remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed tasks. This is because unfinished tasks continuously occupy our subconscious mind, thus prompting and motivating us to complete them. For instance, a student preparing for an exam might leave a few questions on their study guide incomplete. Due to the Zeigarnik Effect, they're likely to remember the material connected to the unfinished questions better because their brain was still working on them.
“The Zeigarnik Effect teaches us that one weapon for beating procrastination is starting somewhere…anywhere.” - Nir Eyal
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