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The Weight of the Unfinished

Too many open loops tax executive functions—limit WIP and breathe.

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Graveyard of Starts

Metaphorical Narrative

You drag a chain of kanban cards across a concrete floor. Each link clanks your name. The hallway never ends.

A door marked ‘Two Slots’ gleams at the far end.

Core Insight

High work‑in‑progress (WIP) multiplies context switching, fragmenting working memory and spiking error rates. Attention becomes a relay race with no finish line.

Setting strict WIP limits is a mercy to cognition. Completing one item restores the dopamine‑closure cycle and reduces learned helplessness.

Identity Shift Tie-In

Observer Mode claims the door and steps through. Sovereignty is the identity of the Two‑Slot Finisher: the one who protects attention like oxygen.

Saturday Experiment

  1. List all active items. Set a hard WIP limit of 2 for the week.
  2. Move everything else to a ‘Parked’ list with review dates.
  3. Finish one item fully today before touching the second.

Sunday Reflection

  • How would a narrator describe their attention—diffused or sovereign?
  • Which two items deserve the slots right now and why?
  • What feeling appears when a chain link finally drops?