Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World · chapter 3 · id deep-work-c3-07-a-complete-shutdown-ritual-at-

“A complete shutdown ritual at end of day reduces anxiety about unfinished work. This connects to the Zeigarnik effect -- incomplete tasks dominate attention, but making a specific plan eliminates their cognitive interference.”

holdsconfidence: high⚠ extracted by pipeline, re-audit pending

Receipts

Masicampo & Baumeister (2011) -- Consider It Done!, Journal of Personality and Social Psychologysource alive
Making specific plans for unfinished goals eliminates their cognitive interference, even without completing them.
Field experiment on weekly planning -- PMC (2024)source alive
2024 field experiment found weekly planning improved work engagement and reduced rumination about unfinished tasks.

This claim is a stable, citable object. If you can falsify a verdict, tell us — corrections are loud here.