The Obstacles Holding You Back and How To Deal With Them?

 Why You Can’t Get Anything Done (And What to Do about It)

The planning fallacy explains why even the simplest tasks take longer than you expect — and it happens to the best and brightest.

Remember the most infamous iceberg,which sunk what was then the world’s largest, most opulent cruise ship, The Titanic? According to survivor stories, the iceberg that sank the luxury cruiser stood anywhere from 50–100 feet above water. And while that sounds massive, typically only one-tenth of an iceberg’s mass is visible. What’s happening beneath the surface is significantly more than we initially realize.

I think of everyday tasks like icebergs floating through your day. Even the small ones involve a lot more than meets the eye. They take more time than you estimate. And you end up barely putting a dent in your to-do list and feeling like you can’t get anything done.

The good news is: there are ways to navigate the icebergs and stop getting hung up on feelings of unproductivity. They’re called workflows, But before we dive into workflows, it’s worth examining why we tend to overestimate how much we can accomplish.

The planning fallacy

Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman once partook in writing a new curriculum for Israeli high schools. Kahneman asked his colleagues how long they estimated the project would take. Their reply? Two years. Kahneman dug further. He asked the group how long similar projects had taken. They reported 7–10 years and about 40% never finished at all.

So, how long did it take for Kahneman and colleagues to finish? Eight years, and by that point, the Ministry of Education lost interest.

As David Brooks, who shared this anecdote in a story for the New York Times, writes:

“Most people overrate their own abilities and exaggerate their capacity to shape the future.”

It’s called the planning fallacy, a concept that Kahneman explored in his book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow.” And it’s why we tend to underestimate how long it will take to get something done.

But how do you overcome the planning fallacy?

Experts have varying ideas. For example, “Essentialism” author Greg McKeown recommends multiplying everything by three when you’re calculating the required time for a task. He told the Times, “Pay the price up front and think about it fully. Cost it more honestly, then make the wiser decision. It’s a very healthy way to live.”

To Be Continued....

Thanks for reading

@Aryan