Sometimes while working in Photoshop I become so Hyperfocused that I neglect my bodily needs. I feel this intense fear that if I stop for a moment to refill my water cup or take a “bio break” that I will lose my train of thought and never regain it.

This is due in part to the Zeigarnik Effect: an unfinished task creates a tension in the brain that is relieved once the task is completed.

This is one reason why taking breaks while studying helps you retain information better—because while you’re on your break, your unconscious mind will continue thinking about the information you’ve just learned.

But the flipside to that is unfinished tasks can clutter the mind and decrease productivity. People with ADHD can feel this to extremes. It can make me remain at my computer while working in Photoshop rather than take care of my needs.

So how do we deal with this?

Remember that our brains are designed to keep us alive, not keep us happy. So everything we do has a survival component whether we like the thing or not.

The Zeigarnik Effect, the tension that we feel when we have an unfinished task, exists to ensure that we finish. For example, a hunter tracking their prey needs to stay on task.

I always thank my survival instincts, “Thank you, Zeigarnik Effect, for keeping me on task, but I have it under control now.

Flipping this once again, the Zeigarnik Effect also explains my husband’s and my extremely successful leadership style when we owned our restaurant: we hired the best people, gave them everything they needed to be successful, and then got out of their way so they could be awesome. We also empowered them to make decisions and delegated responsibilities to them.

Whenever there was an important task to be done, I felt an extreme tension that was relieved as soon as I gave it to a capable team member who I knew would complete it successfully. As soon as I handed it off, my job was done: assign it to the right person. Now I could give the next task my full attention.

You can make the Zeigarnik Effect work for or against you—how do you make it work for you?

Sources: 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/natural-order/202209/how-the-little-known-zeigarnik-effect-impacts-everyone-daily

https://www.innovativehumancapital.com/article/using-the-zeigarnik-effect-to-your-advantage