When we finish a task, we get
closure and stop thinking about it.
When we don’t finish tasks, we
keep thinking about them.
We yearn for completion.
Defined by Bluma Zeigarnik, a Lithuanian-Soviet psychologist who in the 1920s conducted a study on memory, in which she compared memory in relation to incomplete and complete tasks.
In her study, Zeigarnik found a strong correlation between the memory of an incomplete task and the desire to close the loop. She declared that if we have tasks that are incomplete, we consume brainpower by holding onto the memory; our subconscious continues to remind (or nag) our conscious mind.
A few open loops might be good for our productivity; they remind us to bring these tasks to completion.
If there are too many open loops, however, you may suffer cognitive overload: that feeling of stress that comes when a significant amount of mental resources are tied up.
source: Agile Coffee
On the positive side is the adage "always leave them wanting more". Intentionally stopping a task before you are exhausted can be a motivation to get back to that task again soon.
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