Uncompleted tasks and unmet goals tend to pop into one’s mind – this is called the Zeigarnik effect. Completing the task (or making a plan to do so, the more specific the better) will cause your unconscious to stop nagging you with reminders.
That’s the basis of the book Getting Things Done. He recommends doing all things that take two minutes immediately, but otherwise having an organized method off dealing with all issues, where it’s all written down and planned, so no nagging is required. Everything is handled, and you know it is handled, so your brain doesn’t have to nag you about it.
For me, this was actually the single most striking chapter of the book (as anyone in #lesswrong learned while I was reading it...) The Zeigarnik effect is one of the main reasons I ever meditate—to let the little damn thoughts pop while I’m not doing anything so I can write them down on an index card and deal with them later. That alone makes the first 5-10 minutes of meditation worthwhile.
That’s the basis of the book Getting Things Done. He recommends doing all things that take two minutes immediately, but otherwise having an organized method off dealing with all issues, where it’s all written down and planned, so no nagging is required. Everything is handled, and you know it is handled, so your brain doesn’t have to nag you about it.
For me, this was actually the single most striking chapter of the book (as anyone in
#lesswronglearned while I was reading it...) The Zeigarnik effect is one of the main reasons I ever meditate—to let the little damn thoughts pop while I’m not doing anything so I can write them down on an index card and deal with them later. That alone makes the first 5-10 minutes of meditation worthwhile.