Spot the unfinished tasks and loose ends—that’s where your energy is leaking
Why Unfinished Tasks Drain Our Energy
Unfinished tasks create mental "energy loops" that keep pulling our focus back to what hasn’t been completed. Each time we think about these tasks, our cognitive resources are reactivated—even if we don’t take action. This phenomenon, known as the Zeigarnik Effect, explains how the brain holds onto incomplete tasks as a way of ensuring they’re not forgotten. While this might seem helpful, it actually increases mental strain and fatigue, reducing our ability to focus and perform effectively.
And it doesn’t stop there. This heightened cognitive load contributes to mental exhaustion, slower reaction times, and decreased productivity. Studies show that when our brain is overloaded with unresolved tasks, we make more errors and struggle to maintain focus. It’s like trying to run multiple apps on a phone with low battery—everything slows down.
Dopamine, the brain’s reward neurotransmitter, plays a key role here. When we complete a task, we get a hit of dopamine—a natural boost of satisfaction and motivation. By tackling unfinished tasks, we’re not just decluttering our mind—we’re activating this built-in reward system, giving ourselves more energy, better focus, and a tangible sense of accomplishment.
Bluma Zeigarnik, a pioneering psychologist, made significant contributions to understanding thought disorders. While studying under Kurt Lewin in Berlin in 1927, she discovered the now-famous Zeigarnik Effect—the tendency for people to better remember unfinished or interrupted tasks.
Here’s the good news
Our brain hardly distinguishes between physically completing a task and simply deciding to let it go. What matters most is making a decision to close the loop. Whether we finish it or choose to release it, that mental space opens up.
And the effects come fast. Within just a few hours of applying the first technique, we begin to feel it—lighter, clearer, more focused. It’s like shutting down extra browser tabs—suddenly, our mind can work without lag.
Most people start with physical decluttering—cleaning their space, organizing files, clearing their inbox. And while that can help, we’re going deeper. It’s time for a mental reset—not just tidying up our surroundings but closing the loops that are secretly draining our energy.
Step 1: Review Your Unfinished Business
1. Create a focused environment
Sit quietly, take a few deep breaths for one or two minutes, and prepare to focus on this task. You’re about to identify as many unfinished matters as possible. These include:
- Unfinished conversations.
- Unresolved conflicts.
- Unwatched movies or unlistened podcasts.
- Unread books.
- Unanswered emails.
- Unchecked messages in group chats.
- Unpaid bills.
- Abandoned hobbies.
- Bookmarked articles or videos to "read/watch later."
- Online courses you started but didn’t finish.
- And so on…
2. Pay special attention
Focus on the tasks that trigger guilt, shame, or discomfort when you think about them. These unresolved matters often encapsulate significant mental energy. It’s time to reclaim it.
3. Don’t rush
This isn’t a one-time effort. Instead, clearly set this as your primary focus for the whole day. Let your brain search for forgotten tasks lurking in the corners of your mind. Dedicate a relaxed day to this, minimizing other responsibilities. If possible, stick to routine or mundane activities while letting your subconscious work.
4. Document everything
Use a notes app or a paper notebook to jot down everything that comes to mind. Capture even the smallest tasks.
By the end of the day, you’ll likely have an extensive list—and… realize there’s no way you can complete all these tasks at once, which is why they’ve piled up in the first place.
The best part? You don’t have to finish everything on your list!
Instead, we’re taking a smarter, more intentional approach.
Step 2: Categorize Your List
1. Tasks you can complete quickly and forget:
- Pay a utility bill.
- Respond to a message in a group chat.
- Return a small debt.
These are small, 5-minute tasks that can be resolved almost immediately.
2. Tasks you can refuse and forget:
- Read an article that is no longer relevant.
- Attend an event you’ve lost interest in.
- Finish a hobby project that no longer inspires you.
Why this is important:
Saying "no" to unnecessary tasks liberates even more mental resources than for obligatory ones and relieves guilt.
Declaring these tasks as non-essential, deleting or archiving related files creates a sense of empowerment. Feel how amazing it is to let go of things that no longer serve you.
3. Tasks that are difficult to complete and hard to abandon:
- Complete a long-term work project.
- Finish home renovations.
- Prepare for a professional certification.
These tasks require more effort, planning, and often emotional energy.
4. Tasks that are impossible to complete:
- Rebuild a lost relationship.
- Correct a mistake from the past.
- Achieve a goal that is no longer realistic due to changing circumstances.
These tasks cannot be checked off easily or at all, requiring deeper emotional work to release their hold on you.
Step 3: Take Action
1. Close tasks in the first category
Address at least some of them immediately to create a quick sense of progress and relief.
2. Refuse tasks in the second category
Go through them one by one and consciously choose not to complete them.
Cross them off your list, delete related files and reminders, and say out loud, "I’m choosing to let this go."
Notice how this reduces your cognitive load and brings a surge of energy. Feel the difference.
3. Sort out the tasks from categories 3 and 4 to address them with advanced techniques
Some of these tasks just need to be done.
All the other old and unwanted mental clutter need more time and specific strategies to deal with, we will work with them in the later steps.
Additional reading
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. Neural correlates of action: Comparing meta-analyses of imagery, observation, and execution
- Cognitive Brain Research. Do imagined and executed actions share the same neural substrate?
- BMC Neuroscience. Cognitive load and mental fatigue
- Taproot. The Zeigarnik effect
- Neurolaunch. The psychology of not completing tasks