# Zeigarnik Effect Our mind naturally drifts towards our unfinished tasks, or what we perceive to be our unfinished tasks - until we are done. The Soviet Psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik coined it after visit a restaurant where she was extremely impressed at the waiter’s ability to remember who ordered what without writing anything down. However, later on, she realised she had forgotten her jacket - when she went back to get it the same waiter, didn’t recognise her at all. We tend to get easily distracted by the thought of unfinished tasks. Completing these tasks clears our heads and gives us a sense of ease. A hack, a way to clear our heads temporarily of these tasks, is to write them down - this gives us the sense that they are being taken care of. We can also leverage this tendency of ours by allowing our mind to wander when in passive activity such as cooking, going on a walk, or having a shower. Without putting much in the way at all, our mind will often work through and solve its own problems.