Ever wonder why you seem to have a tougher time focusing when you have several things going on at once? The scientific/psychological reason is connected with what is known as the Zeigarnik Effect. Merriam Webster’s definition of the term is: The psychological tendency to remember an uncompleted task rather than a completed one.

You’re probably nodding at your screen right now, saying, “Yes! That’s my world.” I think it is for all of us. Just like we are prone to eat too much, we easily allow ourselves to intake too much information.

I have a bulletin board at the door of my office containing several items that would probably appear strange to you, but keep me focused. Some items come and go while others have a more permanent place. One is the memorial program for the recent funeral of a friend who unexpectedly died at 53. Another is an adorable "brochure" that one of my daughters created for me to use several years ago. One item that seems to always stay posted is a chart I picked up at a trade show many years ago that charts how financially valuable one's time is at work, based on 244, eight hour working days per year. Here's an example: