What are Open Loops?

Have you ever felt like you’re constantly juggling tasks in your head, even when you’re trying to focus on something else?

These unfinished tasks, whether it’s booking a doctor’s appointment, responding to that email, or running an errand, are what productivity expert David Allen calls “open loops.”

They’re commitments we’ve made to ourselves or others that remain unresolved and can be a major source of mental stress.

The Science Behind Open Loops and Mental Clutter

Our brains aren’t built to remember everything we need to do.

According to cognitive load theory (Sweller, 1988), the human brain has limited working memory capacity.

Trying to store too many tasks at once mentally can quickly overload our cognitive abilities, leading to mental fatigue and decreased focus.

Essentially, when we attempt to hold onto all these open loops without a system to track them, we clutter our minds, which increases stress and reduces productivity.

Why Do Open Loops Drain Your Energy

1. Mental Clutter:

Holding onto tasks in our minds creates cognitive strain.

As psychologist Dr. Daniel Levitin explains in his book The Organized Mind, our brains work best when they can focus on one task at a time.

Trying to mentally juggle multiple tasks simultaneously leads to mental clutter, reducing the brain’s ability to function effectively.

Instead of focusing on what’s in front of you, your brain keeps cycling through unfinished tasks, checking to make sure you haven’t forgotten them, which drains mental energy.

2. Low-Level Anxiety:

Research shows that unfinished tasks create a mental itch, known as the Zeigarnik Effect.

This phenomenon, discovered by psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, reveals that people tend to remember incomplete tasks more vividly than completed ones.

These open loops cause low-level anxiety because your brain constantly reminds you that there’s something left unresolved.

The result is a subtle, ongoing stress that can undermine your peace of mind.

3. Procrastination:

Open loops often lead to procrastination because they feel too vague or unstructured.

According to research by Dr Tim Pychyl, a leading expert on procrastination, we tend to avoid ambiguous or overwhelming tasks.

Without clear steps or deadlines, these open loops get pushed to the back of our minds, increasing the likelihood of them sitting idle for days, weeks, or even months.

4. Reduced Productivity:

Holding onto open loops impacts your ability to focus on other tasks.

Cognitive psychologist Dr. Roy Baumeister’s research on willpower and decision-making shows that mental energy is finite.

When we’re constantly juggling open loops, we deplete that mental energy, making it harder to concentrate on essential tasks, think creatively, or make decisions.

How to Close Your Open Loops

1. Write It Down:

One of the most effective ways to relieve the mental burden of open loops is to get them out of your head and onto paper (or into a digital system).

According to David Allen’s Getting Things Done method, our brains relax when we know tasks are recorded outside our minds.

This reduces cognitive load, allowing us to focus on what matters in the moment. We create mental clarity by writing down all tasks, even the small ones.

2. Prioritise:

Once your tasks are written down, prioritize them.

Research shows that productivity sharply declines after about 50 hours of work per week.

This highlights the importance of focusing on high-priority tasks rather than tackling everything simultaneously.

Decide what needs attention immediately and what can wait so you don’t overwhelm yourself.

3. Break It Down:

Many open loops feel daunting because they’re vague.

Break these tasks down into smaller, manageable steps.

Research shows that when we set specific, actionable goals, we are far more likely to complete them.

Breaking a task into concrete steps reduces feelings of overwhelm and procrastination, making it easier to start.

4. Schedule Time:

Once you’ve broken tasks down, schedule time to tackle them.

Dr Piers Steel, an expert on procrastination, suggests time-blocking as an effective method to ensure tasks get done.

This means assigning specific time slots for particular tasks, which reduces the likelihood of procrastination and helps you close those open loops for good.

Open loops may seem like small, insignificant tasks, but they can significantly impact your mental well-being.

By writing them down, prioritising, and taking structured action, you can reduce mental clutter, alleviate anxiety, and improve your focus.

Closing these loops not only helps you get more done but also frees up mental space for creativity, problem-solving, and enjoying the present moment.