The psychology of unfinished tasks
Unfinished tasks can overwhelm us or motivate us. These contradictory experiences are due to the Zeigarnik and the Ovsiankina effects.
«compared to a task that has not yet been started, individuals have a stronger urge to complete interrupted or unfinished assignments.»
More from Ness Labs
False compromise fallacy: why the middle ground is not always the best
It can be tempting to seek the middle ground. But the false compromise fallacy can lead to misleading conclusions and poor decision making.
«“best of both worlds” instead.»
Novelty fallacy: why new isn’t always better
The novelty fallacy is deeply rooted in our neurobiology. The brain's reward system is stimulated by novel ideas and objects. As novelty sparks our sense of curiosity, our brains make us naturally…
«our attraction to novelty can be helpful for our survival, but a fast-changing environment can render this cognitive bias rather problematic.»
Building an antilibrary: the power of unread books
Unread books can be as powerful as the ones we have read, if we choose to consider them in the right light.
«the more you read, the more you will expand your perimeter of knowledge, and the more unread books will be added to your antilibrary. It is not a bad thing, it means you are progressively turning unknown unknowns into known unknowns.»
The science of curiosity: why we keep asking “why” July 24, 2019 In Creativity
Children have an incredibly inquisitive mind. “Why?” they keep asking. But it seems that as adults we tend to fall into fixed and convenient cognitive patterns.
Chronotypes: Is it better to be a night owl or an early bird?
Our preferred sleeping patterns affect both our mental health and our productivity. To make the most of your time and your energy, it is therefore essential to understand your chronotype.
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The Paradox of Goals
Here lies the paradox of goals: Setting goals is a guarantee for disillusionment whether we reach the desired state or not, and yet working toward goals is an important part of evolving as a person.…
«It is tempting during such liminal moments to cling on to a ladder – any ladder – to regain an illusory sense of control and progression.»
Boring Phone: How to Stop Phone Addiction
I must admit, I’m quite addicted to my smartphone. My average daily screen time used to touch 9+ hours, which was not clearly healthy. This article is a follow-up to the one I published last year on…
Single-tasking: the power of focusing on one task at a time
Trying to multitask can not only hurt our productivity, but also our ability to learn. Fortunately, there is an alternative way to boost your efficiency: single-tasking.
«That’s why multitasking leads to decrements in performance when compared to performing tasks one at a time.»
Scientists finally know why we get distracted — and how we can stay on track
More than just a distraction, mind-wandering (and its cousin, daydreaming) may help us prepare for the future
«the decoupling of attention from perception, which is what happens when our thoughts separate from our perception of the environment.»
Why Choose Process Goals? (Over Outcome-Based Goals)
Process goals are a better alternative to the commonly used outcome-based goals. See why you need more of those continuous goals and less of the other.
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