Have you ever wondered why the most annoying songs get stuck in your head?
Or why do unfinished tasks circle and circle in your mind causing stress?
Or, how about -- why, when you hear the notes for "Shave and a haircut," -- do you instantly want to sing "two bits"?
Would you believe it if I told you these questions all had the same answer? I'll give it to you in a second -- but first, let me tell you why this matters.
I coach people to be happier, healthier, and more productive -- and more often than not, when clients come to me, they feel stuck. They feel like forward progress has stopped somewhere along the way, and they want to get it started again.
If that's you, please know that you don't have to stay stuck. Progress can start again -- and your most productive days can still be ahead of you. I thrive on seeing people regain traction and momentum in their personal and professional lives -- and it often takes a resetting of what truly matters to them amidst the noise and chaos of everyday life.
Sometimes when you feel stuck, the first step to getting unstuck is to "get all the monkeys out of the trees." This term is not mine -- rather, it's from a man wiser than me. The idea here is to empty your mind of all the thoughts that swirl around in an attempt to list out all that's consuming your mental energies.
Once you have everything written down (or spoken out loud, if you prefer), you can sort through what matters, make a plan forward, and discard the excess. But, unfortunately, it's not until you capture all the monkeys that your mind can settle down and focus.
Psychologists have discovered we tend to remember unfinished things better than finished ones -- and we crave the closure of what's incomplete. This tendency is called the Ziegarnik Effect. Until there is closure, those tasks swirl and swirl, taking up your valuable mental resources.
This is why annoying songs get stuck in your head. Often, when they come on the radio, we turn them off quickly before the song is finished, and there is no closure.
This is why you lie awake at night thinking about everything that needs done tomorrow, next week, and next year. Those tasks lie unresolved.
This is also why we have to add the final two bits to "shave and a haircut" -- to soothe our craving to resolve a musical tune.
If leveraged correctly, the Ziegarnik Effect can be both a positive and negative force in your life. We've discussed some of the negative effects -- let's now switch gears to the positive.
If you've emptied your brain of "all the monkeys" and started to make a plan of attack to get done what needs to be done, you can leverage the Ziegarnik Effect's drive for closure to start a task (and stick with it) until it completion. According to Cynthia Vinney of ThoughtCo:
"We often put off big tasks that seem overwhelming. However, the Zeigarnik effect suggests that the key to overcoming procrastination is to just get started. The first step could be something small and seemingly insubstantial. In fact, it's probably best if it's something fairly easy. The key, though, is that the task has been started, but not completed. This will take up psychological energy that will lead the task to intrude on our thoughts. It's an uncomfortable feeling that will drive us to complete the task, at which point we can let go and no longer keep the task at the forefront of our minds."
"Just getting started" is not just good advice for overcoming procrastination -- it's one of the primary keys to getting unstuck in life. If that's you, I want to encourage you to spend a few minutes today emptying your mind of all the "mind monkeys" swinging around. Capture those thoughts, and sort through the list of what needs your attention and what doesn't. Then ask -- what needs my attention now vs. later. Finally, ask yourself, "what's the best use of my time in this moment" and focus on that task until completion.
Soon you will feel the freedom to give your best energy to what's most important -- and you'll show up more relaxed, present, and able to focus like never before.
How can you leverage the Ziegarnik Effect to help you get unstuck today? What can you start and stick with that brings you joy, fulfillment and adds color to the legacy you are leaving behind?
