--- aliases: When a task is left unfinished, it stays in your memory --- https://www.wired.com/story/to-do-apps-failed-productivity-tools/ When a task is left unfinished, it stays in your memory (perseverating) > Zeigarnik found a quirk of the human mind: When a task is unfinished, we can’t seem to stop thinking about it. We perseverate. Psychologists still argue about why; possibly it’s a kind of constant refresh to keep whatever’s pending from vanishing from our short-term memory, like putting something by the front door at night so you don’t forget to take it with you the next morning. Writing down tasks frees up memory and makes you relieved (people with to do lists are less likely to procrastinate and fall asleep 9 minutes earlier), but also reduces the pressure to get things done.