Understanding Your Brain’s Attention Model
To truly appreciate why a done list and its associated rituals are so effective, it helps to understand a little about how your brain manages focus. Your ability to concentrate is not an infinite resource, nor is it a matter of willpower alone. It’s a biological process governed by specific limitations and patterns. When we work against these patterns, we feel overwhelmed. When we work with them, we can find a state of deep, effective focus.
Let’s define a few key concepts in simple terms.
Cognitive Load
Think of your working memory as your brain’s computer RAM. It’s the mental space you use for actively processing information, making decisions, and holding thoughts. Cognitive load is the total amount of mental effort being used in this working memory. When you try to juggle too many tasks, ideas, or pieces of information at once, you overload your RAM. Your brain slows down, you start making mistakes, and you feel mentally exhausted. A massive to-do list, a cluttered desk, and constant notifications all contribute to high cognitive load, leaving you with very little mental space for the actual work.
Context Switching
Every time you shift your attention from one unrelated task to another—like from writing a report to checking an email and then to answering a text message—you are performing a context switch. Many people believe they are multitasking, but neuroscience shows that the brain does not truly multitask on complex tasks. Instead, it switches rapidly between them. This switching is not free. It comes with a cognitive cost. It takes time and energy for your brain to disengage from the first task and load the context for the second. As institutions like the American Psychological Association (APA) have noted, even brief mental blocks created by shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40 percent of someone’s productive time.
Monotasking
The antidote to the high cost of context switching is monotasking. This is the simple, powerful practice of focusing on one single task for a dedicated period, without interruption. When you monotask, you allow your brain to fully engage. You reduce cognitive load because you are only holding the context for one activity in your working memory. This allows you to work more deeply, efficiently, and with far less stress. A done list supports monotasking by encouraging you to finish one thing and record it before moving on.
Flow State
When you are fully immersed in a single activity, feeling energized and focused, you might enter what is known as a flow state. In flow, your sense of time can distort, your self-consciousness fades, and the work itself feels rewarding. This is the peak of productivity and engagement. Achieving flow requires the right conditions: a clear goal, immediate feedback, and a task that is challenging but not overwhelming. Monotasking is the gateway to flow. By minimizing distractions and cognitive load, you create the mental environment where this profound state of focus can emerge.
Your energy for this kind of focused work is not constant throughout the day. It operates in cycles, known as ultradian rhythms. We can typically maintain high focus for about 90 minutes, followed by a period of about 20 minutes where our brain needs to rest and recover. Pushing through these natural lulls leads to burnout. Working with them—by taking strategic breaks—is the key to sustained performance.
