Time to Read: 3 mins
Okay, I have a confession to make. 🤫
Sometimes, I'll complete a task that wasn't on my list… and then... ADD it to my list... just so I can check it off.
Anyone else? 🙋🏻♀️ ✅
If you've ever done this, you might have chalked it up to being a little Type A.
But here's the thing…
It's actually your brain doing exactly what it's designed to do.
Because when you complete a task and check it off, your brain releases dopamine — the neurotransmitter associated with reward, motivation, and momentum.
And that feeling of satisfaction you get when you cross something off your list is more than psychological; it's neurological. 🧠
As the research shows, this dopamine response doesn't just reward the behavior that just happened. It actually reinforces the drive to keep going.
In other words, finishing one thing makes it easier and more motivating to start the next.
Completion creates its own momentum! 🔁
Which is exactly why adding that already-finished task to your list, just to turn around and check it off, isn't actually silly at all.
But there's a flip side to this that we need to talk about.
When you carry a long list of things that are started but unfinished, your brain doesn't get that dopamine hit.
Instead, it stays in a state of low-grade tension, waiting for resolution.
And over time, that tension does something quietly damaging…
It starts to erode your self-trust.
You see, every time you tell yourself you'll finish something… but then don't… you're making a promise to yourself that goes unkept.
And whether you realize it or not, your brain keeps score.
Research on self-efficacy shows that when we repeatedly fail to follow through on our own commitments, our belief in our ability to execute erodes.
It happens gradually, almost imperceptibly, until one day you notice you're second-guessing yourself more, procrastinating more, and feeling less confident about your ability to do what you say you'll do.
And the culprit isn't your ambition. It's your unfinished business.
The good news?
Every loop you close is a promise kept to yourself.
And every kept promise rebuilds the self-trust that those open loops quietly chip away at.
💡 Practionable Takeaway
This week, I want you to try something simple but powerful.
At the end of each day, take two minutes and ask yourself:
"What's one promise I kept to myself today?"
It doesn't have to be big. Just something you said you would do, and then followed through on.
Then, write it down. 📝
Yes, capture it! On paper, in a note on your phone, somewhere.
Because what you track, you reinforce. And what you reinforce becomes the foundation of a stronger, more self-trusting leader.
This isn't journaling for the sake of journaling. It's training your brain to recognize its own momentum, and to crave more of it.
And that is self-leadership in action. 🧠✨
🎥 Want to Go Deeper?
If completion fuels self-trust, it's worth asking...
What's actually driving all those unfinished loops in the first place?
There's a fascinating psychological explanation for why your brain holds onto unfinished business the way it does.
And once you understand it, you'll have a completely different relationship with your to-do list.
This week's video breaks it all down, and walks you through exactly what to do about it.
You can check it out here. 👇
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To Your Success,
Laura 💜🧡
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