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About this quote

What does it mean?
Continually postponing or dwelling on unfinished work drains mental energy more than any other activity.
In plain terms
Not finishing tasks is very tiring for your mind.
What can you take from it?
Finish what you start to save mental energy.

Where it applies

  • work projects
  • personal goals
  • daily chores

Putting it to work

  • close open loops
  • set deadlines
  • task prioritization

Questions to consider

  • What unfinished task is draining you now?
  • How can you close an open loop today?

Another view

Some tasks require more time than we can allocate.

More from William James

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  3. I wished, by treating Psychology like a natural science, to help her to become one.

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