Zeigarnik Effect
The Zeigarnik Effect is a psychological phenomenon where people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks significantly better than completed ones. Discovered by Bluma Zeigarnik in 1927, this mental model explains the "Psychic Tension" created by open loops in our brain—the same mechanism that makes TV cliffhangers irresistible and to-do lists anxiety-inducing. Mastering the Zeigarnik Effect allows for better productivity by "just starting" tasks to trigger the brain's finish-instinct, and better UX design by using progress bars to maintain user engagement.