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By Lydia Patrick
Life & Trends Reporter
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There is a reason you might be feeling tired—and it’s not necessarily because you are not getting a solid night’s sleep.
Scott Clary (@scottdclary), 35, a podcaster and writer from Miami, Florida, has gone viral for explaining why you might be feeling constantly exhausted. According to him, it all comes down to a concept called "open loops."
In a Threads post that has been liked over 21,200 times and reposted more than 2,700 times, Clary wrote: "The real reason you're tired all the time: It's not your workload. It's your open loops. The text you haven't answered. The apology you owe. The decision you're avoiding. The conversation you keep postponing. These run in the background of your mind all day, draining your battery.
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"Close your loops. Watch your energy return. Mental clutter is more exhausting than physical work ever will be," he added.
Clary told Newsweek that open loops refer to unfinished business—tasks, conversations, or decisions you have started but haven’t completed. This could be an unanswered text, an apology you owe, or a decision you have been avoiding. Clary said he began noticing the impact of open loops in his own life, realizing he could feel drained, even on days when he had done very little actual work.
There is even science behind the idea. Clary pointed to the Zeigarnik effect, a psychological phenomenon showing that our brains are wired to remember incomplete tasks more vividly than completed ones. These open loops, he said, keep cycling in the background of your mind, demanding attention and draining energy—even when you are not consciously thinking about them.
Clary compared the experience to "having 20 browser tabs open in your mind at all times," creating a mental fog and underlying anxiety that can make even light workdays feel exhausting. "The mental weight of carrying around these unresolved things is incredibly draining—more than the actual work of closing them usually is," Clary said.
As for how to close those loops, Clary recommended starting with a brain dump: write down every unfinished task, text, or decision that has taking up space in your mind. "Seeing them on paper immediately reduces their mental weight," Clary said. From there, he suggested tackling them in order of emotional difficulty—doing the thing you are most avoiding first. "Some loops need to be closed by deciding not to do something," he added. "That’s still closure."
Clary said the difference after closing open loops is immediate. "There’s this lightness that comes from clearing your mental workspace," he added. "You sleep better, focus better, and have more energy for the things that actually matter."
Clary also encouraged people to rethink their relationship with productivity. "I think we've built a culture that glorifies busyness and hustle, but we don't talk enough about mental hygiene," he said. "The most-productive people I know aren't necessarily the ones working the longest hours—they're the ones who are ruthless about closing loops and maintaining mental clarity."
L'Taundra Everhart, wellness expert and executive director of Diverse Learners as well as author of The Emotional Freedom Framework™ Guided Journal echoed Clary’s point, saying that mental exhaustion isn’t just about doing too much—it is about leaving too much open.
"When your mind is filled with open loops—unfinished thoughts, emotional clutter, unanswered what-ifs—it’s like running dozens of browser tabs at once," Everhart said. "Even when you're not actively looking at them, they quietly drain your focus, energy, and peace of mind."
Everhart added that many people wake up already tired and go to bed restless because their brains are still processing unresolved worries in the background. "Your nervous system stays on high alert because your brain is still processing yesterday’s problems and tomorrow’s worries," Everhart said.
Her approach to closing open loops involves reflection, emotional processing, and daily practices that give the mind permission to rest. "It starts with capturing your thoughts on paper, finishing what you start, and pausing after a tough conversation to release what's no longer yours to carry," Everhart said. "That's not just self-care—it's energy management, and it's the key to emotional freedom."
Everhart also shared that she uses these strategies in her own demanding role. "Leading a large school district department overseeing diverse learners means I'm constantly managing open loops—IEPs [Individualised Education Plans] that need attention, families waiting for answers, students whose needs shift daily. The strategies I teach aren't theory—they're what keep me grounded when everything feels like it can't wait."
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Threads users were quick to respond to Clary’s post, and many agreed with his take.
"Exactly. It’s not exhaustion, it’s fragmentation. Your mind isn’t tired—it’s overloaded with unfinished business. Silence the noise, close the loops, and you’ll feel reborn," said one user.
"Some of us are just exhausted moms who don’t get to close every loop before a new wave of loops comes crushing down on us," another shared.
"ALSO the chores you’ve been putting off. The physical clutter constantly in your sight line creates a lot of low-level anxiety/stress. It’s a physical reminder of all the things you’re not doing," posted Jayne.
"The exhaustion from open loops is the friction created by the gap between intention and action," added another viewer.
Not everyone agreed, however. One user criticized the idea as being out of touch: "I’m sorry. This is so out of touch … you can encourage folks to deal with their background loops without claiming that ‘mental clutter’ is more exhausting than physical labor. Tell that to people who work in the service industry, agriculture, and construction sectors. The mothers dealing with both. We need class solidarity—not self help that doesn’t take into account material realities and class warfare."
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