Latest news with #BlumaZeigarnik
Forbes
15-05-2025
- General
- Forbes
Time Management Strategies: Use the 4Ds to Save Time
Time, late and a black man on a phone call at work prioritizing tasks Time is our most valuable resource, yet many professionals still struggle to manage it effectively. With an overwhelming number of tasks competing for attention, it's easy to fall into the trap of working longer hours, sacrificing well-being, or constantly playing catch-up. That's why it's essential to adopt proven time management strategies—and one of the most effective is the 4Ds method. This approach helps you focus on what truly matters, so you can save up to 75% of your time while reducing stress. The secret is in prioritization—and in understanding how your brain works. According to the Zeigarnik Effect, a psychological principle discovered by Soviet psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, our minds tend to remember unfinished tasks better than completed ones. These lingering to-dos consume mental energy, distract our focus, and elevate stress. Think about how often you get sidetracked by that email you didn't reply to, the laundry you didn't fold, or that one unchecked item on your list. While crossing tasks off your list can give you a sense of closure and relief, what I've found most impactful is this: we don't need to finish everything to feel accomplished—we just need to finish the one thing we were worried about when we woke up. That's the task that holds the most mental weight. That's the one that should come first. Instead of trying to do it all, this time management strategy helps you cut through the noise. It allows you to focus on what truly matters, eliminate what doesn't, and ultimately get more done—with less stress. The 4Ds helps you decide which tasks to focus on, delegate, defer, or delete. By categorizing your tasks into four clear categories, you can eliminate unnecessary work and focus your energy where it counts. The result? You reduce your 'mental' task load by 75%, freeing up your time for what truly drives success. Here's how it works: By applying the 4Ds, you'll significantly reduce the time you spend on low-priority tasks. Instead of tackling 100% of your to-do list, you'll focus only on the 25% of tasks that truly matter. Delegating, deferring, and deleting tasks that don't align with your goals will help you conserve mental and emotional energy, and ultimately make your workday more productive and meaningful. This approach can lead to: I explore this method in greater detail in my book Timebox: Time Management Strategies to Balance Productivity and Well-being, where I help professionals apply compassionate time management practices to reduce overwhelm and find flow in their daily work. The 4Ds is one of the core tools I recommend to create clarity and momentum, especially for high achievers who struggle to prioritize. Start by evaluating your daily or weekly tasks and applying the 4Ds to each one. Here are some practical steps to begin: By applying the 4Ds, you'll stop trying to power through 100% of your tasks and start focusing on the 25% that truly matter. Do you feel lighter already? Imagine the relief of realizing you only need to tackle a quarter of the things you thought you had to do 4Ds method is more than just a time management technique – it's a mindset shift. Instead of doing everything, you start doing only the tasks that truly matter, saving time, energy, and stress. Whether you're a busy professional or a leader trying to streamline your team's workflow, the 4Ds can help you work smarter, not harder. The 4Ds is one of the simplest yet most impactful time management strategies available. When combined with timeboxing, it helps you stay focused and in control of your day. Start applying the 4Ds today, and you'll not only save up to 75% of your time—you'll also set yourself up for greater success in both your career and personal life.
Express Tribune
09-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
A half-built bridge rusts in the rain
The writer is an educationist based in Kasur City. He can be reached at Listen to article Endless beginnings characterise our time. Unfinished tasks cover our lives like digital dust, from the half-read books on our nightstands to the unused gym memberships. Since potential and resources both bless the modern mind, why do so many of us find it difficult to get across the finishing line? The "incompletion epidemic" contends that our general inability to complete what we start is more than just a personal flaw but a structural catastrophe with far-reaching effects. Psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik found in the 1920s that waiters remembered unpaid orders better than finished ones – a phenomenon now known as the Zeigarnik effect. Our brains grip onto unfinished tasks, creating mental mess that drives anxiety. Perfectionists quit projects to parry off criticism, whereas procrastinators confuse the relief of procrastination with freedom. The current attention economy is a war on focus. The typical individual looks at their phone 144 times a day, destroying attention. Although society praises "busyness" above conscientious attention, neuroscientist Earl Miller points out that multitasking lowers output by 40%. The outcome is a disposable attitude that undervalues hard fighting. Chronic incompleteness is connected to lower life satisfaction in Dan Ariely's behavioural economics research. The writer who never finishes their manuscript, the student who drops out – these "ghosts" trigger imposter syndrome. In the Bollywood movie Toolsidas Junior, a young boy resolves to take revenge on the nemesis of his father who after having walkovers to the finals of the club snooker championship loses six times to the same rival. With the help of a hardened pro, the boy, after overcoming the curveballs, proves himself a prodigy. But like his father, the boy also has the flaw of not finishing off the decider with aplomb. The maestro locates its reason in the boy's failure to wrap up his routine activities like he never eats up his meals. He asserts: "Start finishing the small things in life. Then, not just blackie, you'll be able to pocket the entire universe." The boy starts polishing off his dinner plate and overcomes his weakness. You would be rightly thinking of the dining etiquette taught by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that one should eat one's meal to the last crumbs. The deserted tasks can cause mental clutter in students. The brain allocates a portion of our short-term memory to unfinished tasks, causing a sense of cognitive tension. This tension manifests as intrusive thoughts, making it challenging to pay attention to the task at hand. Similarly, standardised testing promotes rapid answering, making students avoid sustained inquiry. Psychologist Carol Dweck's research on 'fixed vs growth mindsets' reveals how a fear of inadequacy keeps many trapped in cycles of stagnation. Botched tasks lead to multitasking that causes gradual loss of working memory. Finishing in a distracted planet is a source of mindfulness and happiness. The Zeigarnik effect subjects us to the 'Tyranny of the Shoulds', as described by psychotherapist Karen Horney, in which we compare what we are with what we should be. Tasks forsaken for too long result in rumination or anxiety that dent self-esteem. One who deserts tasks ditches relationships. Without any ulterior motive, he never dedicates himself to anything. He remains in search of lame excuses to shirk commitments. To hold back the truth or counterargument also nurtures in us stifling incompleteness. It might be out of fear of conflict, social pressure or self-preservation; it leads to emotional suffocation which is vented, then, in ugly forms. Incompleteness is not only personal; it's also civic. Political philosopher Francis Fukuyama cautions that quick electoral cycles dissuade politicians from addressing intergenerational problems. In Pakistan, few governments mature to completion. Hence, incompleteness is in our political and national DNA. Laodicean governance spawns public disillusionment and cynicism. When people equate good governance with completion of projects, they downgrade the role of a government from glorifying the country in the comity of nations to mere completion of projects. Such a role is incomplete.
