Daily Productive Sharing 101 - How to Overcome Cognitive Biases in Time Management?

(The English version follows)

#todo#time_management

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当我们追求高效的时候,难免陷入一些认知困境,比如紧急的任务和重要的任务到底哪个的优先级更高?今天的分享帮我们梳理了时间管理中常见的七种认知困境,希望能够帮助大家理清思绪:

Cognitive biases are systematic errors in thinking that distort our decision-making, leading to objectively worse outcomes.
  1. The Mere Urgency Effect

    • Urgency trumps importance every time.

    • Use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize your tasks.

    • Set aside your most productive 2-4 hours each day for your most important work. Daily Productive Sharing 096 - 20201228

    • Only answer emails at certain times of day.

    • Give your important tasks a deadline.

  2. The Zeigarnik Effect

    • The Zeigarnik Effect refers to our tendency to remember incomplete or interrupted tasks better than completed ones.

    • It’s good to remember the things we need to do, and it’s a positive thing to want to finish the things we start.

    • Write your tasks down.

    • Have a system for organizing and regularly reviewing your tasks.

    • Have an end of work shutdown ritual.

    • Find a small way to just get started.

    • Don’t forget to look back at how far you’ve come.

  3. The Planning Fallacy

    • The Planning Fallacy refers to our tendency to underestimate the time it will take to complete a future task despite knowing that similar tasks have taken longer in the past.

    • Break projects down into smaller parts and estimate how long each will take.

    • Pad your schedules more than you think you need to.

    • Use historical data to make better predictions.

    • Limit the scope of work.

    • When you’re going to miss a deadline, communicate that early and often.

  4. The Sunk Cost Fallacy

    • The Sunk Cost Fallacy describes our tendency to continue in an endeavor as a result of past investments in it.

    • Make opportunity costs explicit.

    • Do a quarterly inventory of your commitments.

    • Ask yourself “If I were just starting this endeavor today, would I still do it?”.

  5. Present Bias

    • The Present Bias describes our tendency to choose a smaller, immediate reward over a larger reward in the future.

    • Help out your Future Self.

    • Find ways to make the “right” thing a little more pleasant.

    • Reframe how you think about rewards.

    • Imagine your future self.

  6. Complexity Bias

    • Complexity bias describes our tendency to prefer complicated explanations and solutions over simple ones.

    • Develop a bias for action over research.

    • Choose the system you’ll stick with.

    • Apply Occam’s Razor.

  7. Hedonic Adaptation

    • Hedonic adaptation is our tendency to quickly return to our normal levels of happiness after both positive and negative external events.

    • Set many smaller goals instead of one big one.

    • Enjoy the process, not just the outcome.

    • The outcome won’t make you happier, but the act of showing up every day can.

    • Pursue strong social connections.

7 Cognitive Biases That Make Us Such at Time Management

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When we pursue efficiency, we inevitably fall into some cognitive dilemmas, such as which is the higher priority: urgent tasks or important tasks? Today's sharing helps us sort out seven common cognitive dilemmas in time management, hoping to help you clear your minds.

Cognitive biases are systematic errors in thinking that distort our decision-making, leading to objectively worse outcomes.
  1. The Mere Urgency Effect

    • Urgency trumps importance every time.

    • Use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize your tasks.

    • Set aside your most productive 2-4 hours each day for your most important work. Daily Productive Sharing 096 - 20201228

    • Only answer emails at certain times of day.

    • Give your important tasks a deadline.

  2. The Zeigarnik Effect

    • The Zeigarnik Effect refers to our tendency to remember incomplete or interrupted tasks better than completed ones.

    • It’s good to remember the things we need to do, and it’s a positive thing to want to finish the things we start.

    • Write your tasks down.

    • Have a system for organizing and regularly reviewing your tasks.

    • Have an end of work shutdown ritual.

    • Find a small way to just get started.

    • Don’t forget to look back at how far you’ve come.

  3. The Planning Fallacy

    • The Planning Fallacy refers to our tendency to underestimate the time it will take to complete a future task despite knowing that similar tasks have taken longer in the past.

    • Break projects down into smaller parts and estimate how long each will take.

    • Pad your schedules more than you think you need to.

    • Use historical data to make better predictions.

    • Limit the scope of work.

    • When you’re going to miss a deadline, communicate that early and often.

  4. The Sunk Cost Fallacy

    • The Sunk Cost Fallacy describes our tendency to continue in an endeavor as a result of past investments in it.

    • Make opportunity costs explicit.

    • Do a quarterly inventory of your commitments.

    • Ask yourself “If I were just starting this endeavor today, would I still do it?”.

  5. Present Bias

    • The Present Bias describes our tendency to choose a smaller, immediate reward over a larger reward in the future.

    • Help out your Future Self.

    • Find ways to make the “right” thing a little more pleasant.

    • Reframe how you think about rewards.

    • Imagine your future self.

  6. Complexity Bias

    • Complexity bias describes our tendency to prefer complicated explanations and solutions over simple ones.

    • Develop a bias for action over research.

    • Choose the system you’ll stick with.

    • Apply Occam’s Razor.

  7. Hedonic Adaptation

    • Hedonic adaptation is our tendency to quickly return to our normal levels of happiness after both positive and negative external events.

    • Set many smaller goals instead of one big one.

    • Enjoy the process, not just the outcome.

    • The outcome won’t make you happier, but the act of showing up every day can.

    • Pursue strong social connections.

7 Cognitive Biases That Make Us Such at Time Management

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