Concept · Psychology
The psychology of incomplete projects
Dr. Timothy Pychyl's research on the sunk cost fallacy in project completion. The "what-the-hell" effect. The Zeigarnik effect. Why we abandon things and what to do about it.
Published July 13, 2026 · ~4 min read
The research
Dr. Timothy Pychyl at Carleton University has spent 20+ years studying why we abandon the projects we start. His research program is called "Procrastination and Task Initiation" and has produced hundreds of papers. The findings are consistent: most abandonment is not rational, not strategic, not even intentional. It's psychological. The mechanisms are the same across project types — code, writing, art, business, learning.
The 5 mechanisms
- Enthusiasm fade. The initial excitement fades. The first 10% of any project is the most exciting — the architecture is forming, the structure is taking shape. By the time you're at 50%, the excitement is gone. By 90%, you're doing the boring polish work.
- Difficulty spike. The project becomes hard. The first 50% is the easy part. The second 50% is where the real problems are. Most projects die at the difficulty spike.
- Life events. The creator's life changes. New job, new baby, new relationship, new city, new health issue. The project is paused for "a few weeks" that turn into a few years.
- The "what-the-hell" effect. One slip (miss a day, miss a deadline) leads to abandoning the whole thing. Dieters who eat one cookie abandon the diet. Writers who miss one day abandon the book. The remedy: never miss twice.
- The Zeigarnik effect. Uncompleted tasks stay in an "open loop" in your brain, taking up cognitive resources. The abandoned project keeps nagging at you. The remedy: complete, hand off, or formally archive — anything that closes the loop.
What the research says to do about it
Dr. Pychyl's three practical recommendations:
- Don't rely on motivation. Motivation fades. Build systems instead — deadlines, accountability partners, scheduled work blocks. The project gets done by the system, not by the mood.
- Never miss twice. The "what-the-hell" effect is the most common cause of full abandonment. One missed day is a setback. Two missed days is a pattern. Make a rule: never miss twice in a row.
- Close the loop. An abandoned project takes up cognitive space until it's resolved. The resolution is one of: complete it, hand it off, or formally archive it. BreakPoint is the platform for the second option.
Frequently asked questions
Why do we abandon projects?
Enthusiasm fade, difficulty spike, life events, the 'what-the-hell' effect, the Zeigarnik effect.
What is the Zeigarnik effect?
We remember uncompleted tasks better than completed ones. The remedy: close the loop.
What is the 'what-the-hell' effect?
One slip leads to abandoning the whole thing. The remedy: never miss twice.