Research library
Method
Distraction Parking
Zeigarnik, 1927; Eyal, 2019
Writing an intrusive thought down releases the mental loop.
Unfinished thoughts keep firing in working memory (the Zeigarnik effect). Capturing them in a trusted external place tells the brain the loop is closed enough to defer.
What the research shows
Masicampo and Baumeister (2011) showed that simply planning when to address an unfinished task removes its interference with subsequent focus.
Where evidence is weaker
Capture only works if you actually return to the parked items later. A growing parking lot you never review becomes its own background hum.
How Focus Capsule applies it
Press D inside a capsule to drop a distraction into the parking lot without breaking the session. The list waits for you on the exit screen.