Don’t know about you, but there have been times during life when I’ve felt unproductive. It drives me nuts! And the more I think about it, I stay stuck in the horrible feeling I could be doing more.
This week, I read an article on Inc. that “spoke” to me and taught me something new. The concept it discussed is called “Bikeshedding”, a brain bias that keeps us stuck, especially in times of uncertainty.
There are two parts to this concept, one is in the same way a goldfish will grow to fit the size of its bowl, a task will take up as much time as it is allowed. For all of us out there who have said we “work best under a deadline,” this is why. As long as the time to complete something is unlimited, it is more difficult to complete.
The second is when given a big, important task, people are more likely to get hung up on something trivial that takes up a disproportionate amount of time. It got the name “bikeshedding” from Parkinson’s observation of a group who were tasked with creating the plan for a nuclear power plant, and the committee spent a huge amount of time focusing on the design of the bike shed (instead of the full plant – true story!)
How might this apply (even when you think it’s silly)?! When your brain is in overwhelm consider these scenarios.
- You need to improve your diet, but feel you can’t start them until you have researched the experts (and read a gazillion articles/books
- You know want to tackle a project that has been on your “to do list” all year, but can’t decide if it another project might be easier to start (and finish) and thus, you review all your projects again and again
- You want to start exercising, but you defer to reading about the benefits of different regimes (x, y or z)
See what happened here? Instead of taking action, you looped and looped and avoided doing what you said you wanted to do! Why you ask?
The biggest problem with bikeshedding is that your brain is really good at making you think that thing you are stuck on is incredibly important and deserves all the time you can possibly devote to it. Your brain puts up roadblocks and replay worst-case scenarios in your mind to ensure you never get to the real issue (the new, important thing that makes your brain scared because it doesn’t have a set rule for it yet).
Taking action begins with a single step. It helps to identify the why behind the result you desire. Awareness comes when you understand what the distraction is keeping you from.
Ask yourself:
- Will “it” be important to me five years down the road?
- Is there a consequence if I make a bad choice?
- Is this distraction holding me back from my goal?
If your decision doesn’t matter in the long run and it’s possible to get started, just do it and forget the distractions! You can do it! Heck with the bikeshedding 🙂
COVID-19 is a time to take care of the business of life. Are you/yours protected in case?
Know I’m here anytime you’re ready to review what protection strategies you have in place and identify what’s missing and how best to fill the gaps. If you or someone you know would benefit from working with me individually, for their employees or companies, contact me via Email or check out the website @ The Living Planner for additional information.
Stay well. –Lynn
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