99. Bikeshedding: Why The Simplest Tasks Can Keep You Stuck (A Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode)

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today, we are going to be talking about bikeshedding, also known as Parkinson’s Law of Triviality. There is definitely a reason I am talking about this topic right now, as it very much impacts us all at this time of extreme change during the coronavirus pandemic.</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">This is part of a series of sorts in talking about concepts that are relevant to our changing lives and many of us being sequestered at home and doing most everything virtually (some for the very first time). </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As with most concepts you will hear me talk about on this show, bikeshedding is something we do all the time and don’t really realize it is happening. The thing that makes this concept different from a lot of others is how much it is holding us all back ALL THE TIME without our conscious consent. You may call this “being a perfectionist” and many of us ambitious folks struggle with this tendency. The thing is, for the most part people are not suffering from perfectionism in</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">every</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">aspect and possible decision. They tend to get hung up on really tiny details that don’t matter so much in the long run. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The question is: why do</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">those</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">things get so much of our attention? Why do they feel so important in the moment and like you can’t move forward until they are dealt with? </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">More often than not, this is because your brain is bikeshedding (and essentially avoiding a more important topic that makes it scared or nervous). </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here’s what you can expect in this episode: I will give you an explanation of what bikeshedding is, with some of the most common examples. Then I am going to give you a list of questions that you can ask yourself