Viagra For Motivation? This Weird Trick Is All You Need to Know

How to create the right conditions for unstoppable momentum, every time

Selda Seyfi

Mar 24, 2025

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You’ve given yourself two hours to complete a task.

The first hour drags—your thoughts scatter, your fingers hesitate, and nothing clicks.

Another 45 minutes slip by, frustration simmering, the pressure mounting.

Then, suddenly—like a switch flipping—you’re locked in.

Your breathing deepens, steady and rhythmic.

Your pupils widen, drinking in the details.

Your hands move instinctively, effortlessly translating thought into action.

Time dissolves.

Your body hums with energy, perfectly attuned to the task at hand.

And just as you’re riding the peak of momentum—ping—a notification. A meeting.

Your focus shatters.

F*ck.

In two hours, you experienced a real sense of flow for about 15 minutes.

It’s tempting to push through, isn’t it? Cancel the plans for the rest of the day? Keep working on it until you reach the state of emptiness again?

Tempting, but not a very good idea.

This is the perfect time to stop and come back to it again tomorrow.

Why?

Because therein lies the power of momentum and being able to keep going.

Ernest Hemingway was famously quoted as saying:

"The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next."

This method kept his momentum going and prevented writer’s block by giving him a clear path forward when he returned to his work.

Other writers who have been known to use similar techniques include:

Virginia Woolf

Woolf would sometimes leave passages incomplete, ensuring she returned with fresh energy to finish them. She wrote about the importance of carrying the rhythm of a sentence in her head until she could complete it.

Graham Greene

Greene was disciplined in writing exactly 500 words per day and often stopped mid-sentence to make it easier to resume work the next morning.

Roald Dahl

Dahl followed a strict writing routine and would sometimes stop mid-thought or mid-sentence to keep his creative momentum going.

William Faulkner

Faulkner was known for long, complex sentences, and there are reports that he would sometimes stop mid-sentence, possibly as part of his free-flowing writing style.

This technique is essentially a psychological trick—by stopping in the middle of a thought rather than at a natural breaking point, the writer stays engaged with the work and avoids the struggle of starting from scratch the next day.

Why does it work?

The idea of stopping mid-flow to boost productivity leans on a few key psychological principles:

1. The Zeigarnik Effect

This is the big one. The Zeigarnik Effect is a psychological phenomenon where people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones.

When you stop mid-task—especially in the middle of a sentence, idea, or thought—your brain holds onto that unfinished business.
This creates a kind of “cognitive itch,” which makes it easier to re-engage with the task later because your brain is already primed to pick it back up.

2. Reduces Re-entry Friction

Starting is often the hardest part. By stopping mid-flow, you’re essentially setting yourself up with a "soft start" for your next session.

You don't need to warm up or figure out where to begin—it’s right there, waiting.
This reduces the activation energy needed to jump back in, which boosts consistency and momentum over time.

3. Preserves Creative Energy

When you're in a flow state, your brain is making rapid, deep connections. Stopping while you still have energy and ideas allows that momentum to linger subconsciously.

Your brain continues to “work” on the problem in the background (also known as incubation in creativity research).
When you return, your subconscious may have already made progress without you realizing it.

4. Prevents Burnout and Fatigue

Stopping before you're completely drained helps you preserve mental stamina. This is similar to the Pomodoro Technique—working in focused bursts and taking breaks to avoid cognitive fatigue.

Quitting while you're ahead also helps you want to come back, rather than associating the task with burnout or dread.

How to do it

To get into a state of flow—and be able to return to that same flow state next time you sit down to work—try these three steps:

Set a timer for how long you’re going to work on the task.
Work on that task. (If you don’t get anywhere, let it go. If you do get somewhere, let it go.)
When the timer goes off—stop. Even if you’re halfway through a slide or mid-sentence. Switch to something else.

My experience

I’m used to abruptly slamming my laptop shut mid-task when I glance at the clock and realize I have to pick up my children—so this tactic isn’t exactly new for me. But this week, I decided to try some more deliberate stop/start exercises:

I stopped writing this article midway through a sentence instead of finishing it. It’s harder than you’d think—your brain really wants to complete the thought. But Hemingway was right—it was easier to pick it back up the next day.
I stopped painting after a set amount of time, even though the thing I was painting could’ve dried awkwardly. This actually felt a lot easier than stopping mid-writing.
I paused halfway through building an automation. Surprisingly easy to return to and finish the next day.
Laundry—I realized I already do this with putting clothes away. What was that meme again? Washing = 2 hours. Putting away = 7–10 business days. Ironing = you’ve got to be kidding me. 😊

A couple of times this tactic didn’t work:

Anything involving children. This simply doesn’t fly when you have little ones. I can’t just stop bathing them, feeding them, or walk out of the room before they’re fully asleep. Can you imagine the chaos??
Cooking. Despite being a trained chef who used to prep meals in stages, this just doesn’t work in my house right now. Mostly because when children are hungry, you will hear about it—non-stop.

The big takeaway for me was the sense of positivity that comes from being able to come back to something with the energy and motivation to pick it up—because you know exactly what to do, what to write, or how to start.

TL;DR

Stopping mid-flow:

Makes it easier to start again (Zeigarnik Effect)
Reduces friction and decision fatigue
Keeps your brain engaged even when you’re not working
Helps avoid burnout and keeps motivation high

There’s something powerful about sitting down and knowing what’s next. It kicks you into awareness and momentum.

What do you think? Will you try stopping mid-flow this week? If you do, let me know how it goes!