The Zeigarnik Effect

I’ve got a problem, and I think you might too.

Once I’m in a groove, I can’t stop.

Now, I guess you can look at this and see it being a positive but have you ever been so enthralled in an actvity that you stay up way past your bedtime? Has a book ever kept you up till 2 a.m? Binged a series past a healthy stopping point? Stayed at work later than you should have…?

When I was a kid, I used to really play with Legos (I still do, tbh), and I’d stay up on school nights building the greatest Lego city ever! It’s all I’d ever ask for during Christmas, Bdays, etc. and my dad even got me two card tables to set up in the storage room I could build on. Each day, I’d come home from school and go straight to work. I was really obsessed lol.

Yet, it always felt like I’d play so intensely I’d end up getting bored (or seemingly finished with the building) and deciding to leave them be for weeks thereafter. My Lego focus was productive at first but disruptive eventually. I’d play hard for a week or so, then do something else for three weeks after. Of course, it’s just Legos so there’s no consequence to leaving them be but the concept applies to much more impactful efforts in our lives.

Like that workout routine. Or the hobby you’ve been trying to do more of. Maybe even that side hustle idea you think could really work.

All of those need real consistency to produce a feel-good reward. Not just an intense spurt paired with three weeks on the sideline afterwards. That sort of thing doesn’t compound. I used to struggle to pace myself with Legos, but now that habit bites me in the ass in much more important areas.

I wish I could pace myself better so I could avoid those two weeks of nothing that always follow a spurt of intensity.

That I could just plod along instead, knowing I’m consistent and the effort will add up over time.

System 6 - The Zeigarnik Effect

I was driving home the other day and thinking about my problem here. I came to the conclusion that when I could stop myself before I finished that last Lego idea or BetterLife paragraph, I usually pick things up the next day with equal enthusiasm. Yet, when I finish the task completely I’m much more susceptible to a following day of “rest.” Especially when completely finishing takes up more time than it should.

Little did I know, this is an actual phenomenon??

Here it is:

“The Zeigarnik Effect — the psychological phenomenon where unfinished tasks stay at the top of mind more than completed ones. Stopping work intentionally before you're done creates a natural pull to return the next day. It's not discipline that gets you back to the desk. It's the unfinished business feeling.”

I didn’t write any of that but there isn’t really a better way of explaining it. Stopping before I finished my Lego Batcave made me want to finish it even more the next day.

I know this is mad tough to do though, and I want to touch on that aspect:

It’s not easy to stop something once you’re in a groove. Especially if it’s something exciting!

But the point of this newsletter is to help you balance your life while getting closer and closer to being someone who went from “I should start” to “this is something I do.”

If you’ve got all the time in the world, then great! This system isn’t for you and you’ve got one hell of an opportunity to be great. But if not, understanding how this effect works, and how to set boundaries to use this Zeignarik (still can’t pronounce it) idea to it’s best potential is a suggestion from me to you. Understanding how to stop is of the most value in my eyes. We all know this is a proven thing, it’s now just whether it can work for us.

For these next two weeks challenge you to set a stopping point for your efforts on something and actually stick to that stopping point.

Use a timer, have your partner stop you, or ask a friend to call ya. Whatever you need to interrupt your flow and stop.

Success in stopping comes from being intentional about when you should stop.

That’s scary for me because with anything I’m trying to do more of, I know I don’t already do it enough. Stopping just feeds into that fear that I’ll never pick it back up.

That I should keep the session going because who knows when I’ll start building the Lego Batcave again.

But now that you know there’s science supporting you coming back to it, trust that you’ll be able to do so.

And actually stop.

There's a difference between one thing with unfinished business and ten things all left half-done.

That distinction is what keeps it from becoming anxiety instead of momentum.

I write a newsletter sharing tiny tools (like this one!) to live more deliberately. Comes out every other Sunday.

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