How to Stop The “Planning Fallacy” From Ruining Your Day
There is a good chance that you are working on a task that you should have finished yesterday. We call this procrastination but sometimes, it's not our fault. The cause is the planning fallacy.
Our optimism causes this human error. We underestimate how long something takes to get done. Because we are focused on the task, we forget about the other things that will tug on our attention.
This gets worse the more you put on your plate. Have you ever put in 5 or 6 hard to-do list items and completed them all? Me either. It never happens.
Sadly, we move over the undone tasks to the next day and pile more on then tell ourselves tomorrow will bring more time than today. That’s the planning fallacy in action.
One solution is to change our assumptions. It’s not finding more time but changing expectations.
Rather than doing 5 things. Do one single thing. Anything else is the cherry on top.
The next question is which one? There are many ways to decide. Here are a few questions to ask.
What is the Single Most Valuable Task That Will Make Me Feel Satisfied?
What Will I Regret Not Doing When The Day Ends?
What 20% on My List Will Lead to 80% of the Results?
If you answer those questions honestly, your choice will be something challenging in your work or personal life. The next step is patting yourself on the back for starting or making progress (let alone completing).
Do this every day and you’ll be more effective than most people.
🌟 My Favorite Ideas
A few of my favorite ideas from a book/podcast/article I consumed recently
📊Chart - Ranked: The Most Popular Fast Food Brands in America
Two facts surprised me
Starbucks is 2nd on the list even though it's a coffee shop.
Chipotle is lower than I expected. Ranked 10th.
🙂 What is Happiness?
Someone to love
Something to do.
Something to look forward to.
As always, thank you for reading.
How'd you like it? Feedback is always welcomed, just hit reply. I answer every email.
Irfan
P.S.
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