Every week, I ask my Productive Heroes to rate their productivity on a scale from 1 to 10. It's an effective and simple way to assess how they felt about their progress.

Let me share with you one of the productivity "cheat codes" they use to achieve 10/10 weeks, the simple way. Let me warn you, you may not like it, but I'm pretty sure you'll learn something useful from this post.

In 1927, Bluma Zeigarnik, a psychologist, noticed something strange at a busy restaurant in Vienna. Waiters could easily remember details of unfinished orders but had trouble recalling completed ones. Curious, Zeigarnik conducted research and discovered the Zeigarnik Effect – a phenomenon where our minds prioritize and remember information about unfinished tasks better than completed ones.

The Zeignarnik Effect explains why, even if you achieved 7 out of 10 tasks on your to-do list today, you still ruminate about the 3 tasks left. Unfinished tasks create a mental itch called a cognitive tension, much like an unscratched mosquito bite. By the way, the Zeignarnik Effect is also the reason why you want to watch a movie after seeing its trailer, or why feel compelled to finish this YouTube video you started.

When you do not complete tasks, they may weigh heavily on your mind and create stress. If this cycle repeats day after day, week after week, the Zeigarnik Effect creates more stress for you, starts hurting your self esteem and that's when you start feeling behind.

One simple way to overcome this challenge is to lower the tension. How? Adjust your expectations and plan fewer tasks on your to-do list. If you had 3 tasks on your to-do list for the day and completed them all, you'd feel much better than if you did 7 out of 10.

I'm not suggesting slacking off, but rather prioritizing quality over quantity. Again, work smart, not hard. More tasks create higher expectations, increasing the chances of experiencing stress coming from the Zeigarnik Effect.
In contrast, working without expectations, such as on a Saturday when you're not supposed to be productive, can provide a guilt-free sense of pleasure and progress.

By adjusting your expectations properly, you'll maintain motivation and preserve your momentum.

Quick share

For the productive music producers reading this, do you want to take your music production quality to the next level?

Check out this helpful guide from my friend Kev @ Awkwa Vision, coach for producers and artists. It's packed with tips for you to enhance your music production quality.

First-to-Respond within 48 hrs score a Music Assessment and personalized Strategy Session worth $444. Being a part of my community, just mention “Petrus” when booking for free access

Feel free to let me know, what would make this newsletter priceless for you, by replying to this email! What specific productivity-related challenges do you have recently?