The Project Restart Calculator looks at one specific question inside sunk-cost psychology and creative motivation: what do your restart potential actually add up to? Instead of a vague feeling, it converts the everyday signals you already notice — skill match (can you still do this?), money invested, months since last worked on, how often you see it — into a single score you can track, compare and act on.
The model is built on sunk-cost dynamics, the Zeigarnik effect and clutter psychology, the same foundation as our flagship project calculator. Each input is weighted by how strongly that factor predicts real outcomes in the research; the formula and every weight are published below, so you can see exactly why your score is what it is — and argue with it if you like.
Adjust the sliders to match your situation honestly and the score updates live, along with the strongest factors pushing it up or down. Like everything on Quirkulator, the computation runs entirely in your browser: nothing you enter is ever transmitted or stored.
The formula
w1·skill fit- Skill match (can you still do this?) (weight -0.6)
w2·sunk- Money invested (weight +0.7)
w3·dormant- Months since last worked on (weight +1.1)
w4·visibility- How often you SEE it — 0 = boxed away, 10 = daily eye contact (weight +0.6)
w5·progress- How complete is it? — % (weight -0.9)
σ, μ- Sigmoid squash to 0–100, centered on typical values
How it works, step by step
- Rate each input honestly — the Project Restart score is only as good as your self-assessment.
- Watch the live score and note which factor the result panel names as your strongest driver.
- Read your band below — each range comes with a concrete recommended next step.
- Change one input to simulate a change in behavior and see how much the score moves — that sensitivity is the real insight.
- Re-take the assessment after a few weeks; trends across readings mean far more than any single score.
Worked examples
A low-signal scenario
With every input set well below typical — the quiet version of this situation — the model returns 41, landing in the “Pending decision” band. This is a paused project, not an abandoned one. It fits your energy budget and clutter tolerance; no action or guilt is owed.
A high-signal scenario
Push the main drivers well above typical and the score rises to 43 — the “Pending decision” band. The project functions as a monument to a former plan. Release it formally — photograph, thank, rehome — and reclaim both the space and the mental rent.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
What does the Project Restart Calculator actually tell me?
Where this project sits on the spectrum from healthy pause to guilt monument — by weighing sunk cost, dormancy and visibility against your real capacity to finish. The point is a decision, not a shame score.
Should I finish it or let it go?
The model’s verdict logic: strong progress plus available energy says finish; long dormancy plus low progress says release. Both outcomes close the loop — research on task abandonment shows deliberate release relieves nearly as much tension as completion.
Why do unfinished projects generate guilt at all?
Two well-studied effects compound: sunk-cost aversion (quitting feels like losing the money again) and the Zeigarnik effect (open tasks stay mentally active). Physical visibility multiplies both — the project literally watches you.
Does buying supplies count as progress?
The community joke — that supply acquisition is a separate hobby — is psychologically accurate: buying delivers the dopamine, making requires the effort. If your scores keep landing high, audit acquisition, not discipline.
What is “formal forgiveness” of a project?
A deliberate retirement ritual: photograph it, note what it taught you, rehome the materials. It converts an open loop into a closed story, which is what the guilt was actually about.
Is my information saved?
No — everything computes locally in your browser and vanishes when you leave.