May 23, 2023 • 20 mins
In this episode, we explore the significance of timely goals, deadlines, and their impact on task prioritization, motivation, and time management. We discuss the importance of adapting deadlines to external factors, and introduce two techniques for optimizing task management: the Eisenhower matrix for prioritization and the Zingarnik effect for combating the fixation on incomplete tasks. Lastly, we share practical tips on managing the feeling of unfinished tasks, including taking breaks and implementing the Pomodoro Technique for improved focus and productivity.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to the Gold Medal Mindset Podcast. I
am your host, Parna Huckabee, three time Paralympic gold medalist snowboarder,
here to encourage you to live a gold medal life,
one that is full of confidence, resilience, empowerment so that
you can be successful in your goals without sacrificing your
mental health and the things you care about most in
(00:21):
this world. Hello, Hello, Hello, my gold Mettal Minds. Today
we are getting into the T of the smart goal.
Finished out the S. We've finished out the M, the
A and the R, and now we're finishing out the T.
We have specific, we have measurable, we have attainable, we
have realistic, and today we are getting into timely. Let's
(00:41):
finish out this framework. Guys at one hundred percent, show up,
give your best. Giving your best does not mean giving
more than you have. I mean giving what you've got
in the best you've got. Maybe that's technically fifty percent
of your one hundred percent, and that is okay. Show up,
give it your all and a allow yourself this time
(01:01):
to learn something new. Come in with that beginner's mindset
if you already know it, and say you know what,
I'm going to walk away with something today that is
going to help me achieve my goal. Now, let's get
into this tea and what it specifically means. A goal
without a timely deadline is like having unseasoned food.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Big.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
I'm from Louisiana and I cannot think of anything worse.
It is bland, it is unappetizing. You don't really want
to eat it, you don't want to finish it. That
is how these goals work. But for real, let's think
about this. So would you start running in a race
if there were no finish line. Probably not. You're not
for uscump. I do not see you just running out
there into nothing. Timely goals and timely deadlines gives you
(01:42):
that finish lines you know where to work towards. It
gives you a clear endpoint, to know where to put
your focus, where to put your priorities, where to put
your task. There are other very important benefits that comes
to setting these deadlines. These deadlines are like these little
voices in the back of her head that are like
get after a lady. It to it in Heaven's y'all.
I don't know about you, but it works so well
(02:03):
for me clear and achievable deadline, y'all can light a
freaking fire in my butt to keep working towards these goals. Now,
some of you may be thinking deadlines, man, that sounds
so stressful, but hear me out, hear me out. Okay,
there are actual major benefits to setting clear and achievable deadlines.
First up, we have increased motivation when you set a deadline.
(02:24):
It creates the sense of urgency that can motivate us
to work towards achieving our goal. I don't know about you,
but sometimes I need a little kick in the butt
to get going, and a deadline can definitely provide that.
Actually get mad, y'all when I don't have a deadline,
attach to my goals because I know I'm going to
struggle to complete the goal. I know I'm going to
struggle to complete the task. I don't know if you
can relate with that, but that is my truth and
(02:47):
we are in it today. And this is because a
deadline can improve your time management. Setting a deadline can
help you prioritize your time and focus on what's actually important.
And this is one reason that I love having a
deadline because I can feel like I can effectively space
out my procrastination that you didn't think I was going
to say that. It's true. I'm human and I don't
(03:07):
know about you, but I used to get my butt
torn up because I waited till the last minute to
do homework, school projects, study for huge tests, whatever it was.
But having that deadline allowed me to get after it
when it counted. It allowed me to improve my planning
so that I didn't have to scramble at the last minute.
I could thrive at the last minute. Or maybe you're
better than I and you've spaced out your work a
bit better, which is honestly the ideal, and this allows
(03:29):
you to capitalize on just getting clear and measuring your
progress and seeing where things are working or where you
can get better, or even allows you to be more
ambitious in the futures. Deadlines can serve so many purposes.
Don't be afraid of them, embrace them, and watch your
motivation just skyrocket, because all in all, setting these achievable
deadlines is going to increase your motivation, improve your time management,
(03:54):
enhance your planning, allow for better progress tracking, give you
a sense of accomplishment, which is going to boost your
self confidence and it's going to help you set more
ambitious goals. Y'all, Deadlines don't have to be scary, and
deadlines don't have to lead to burnout. Deadlines can be healthy.
They can help you be smarter with how you use
your time. There's only twenty four hours in a day,
(04:16):
and I don't know about you, but I like to
spend a lot of those hours with my family and
doing the things that I love. So if I can
prioritize my work throughout different parts of the day, then
I can have more time for the things that I love.
So what are these evidence based strategies for achieving these goals?
I thought you'd never ask. Well, we have our normal lines,
like breaking down goals into smaller, more manageable tasks, prioritizing
(04:38):
tasks based on urgency and importance, using time blocking techniques
to schedule out your tasks, setting deadlines for each task,
and using accountability buddies to stay on track. But there
are more strategies to consider when it comes to deadlines.
And look, I know they can feel daunting. I know
that they can feel like a lot and scary and big,
But don't sweat it, because I really do have these
(05:00):
that are going to help you tackle them like the
boss that you are. So first off, we've got these
deadline anchors, and it sounds really fancy, right, but it's not.
It's just a way of saying that you need a
reference point for setting your deadlines. For example, if you're
planning a product launch, the launch day itself can be
your anchor point, and this is going to help make
sure that all the tasks you needed to complete this
(05:21):
launch are done in time for that big day. Maybe
you're a student and an anchor deadline could be based on
the due date of your assignment. It's really not that
complicated when you're doing these deadline anchors. What you really
need to consider is these petty external factors that can
totally throw a wrench in your plans, things like holidays. Again,
maybe it's not so pesky that it's kind of nice,
unless maybe you're with your in lusks Jack I love them,
(05:43):
work schedules, or even a global pandemic. Right, It's important
to take these factors into account when you're setting your
deadlines so that you're not setting yourself up for failure
by choosing a deadline that's just impossible to meet because
external factors. They exist, and they're there, and we have
technology and the ability to schedule and plan around them.
(06:04):
So really making sure that you're taking time to think
about these external factors. And if you did set an
overly ambitious deadline, don't worry because you can always review
and adjust your deadlines as needed. Y'all. Life happens, things happen,
and deadlines may need to shift. But by keeping an
eye on your progress and regularly adjusting your deadline, you
(06:25):
can make sure that they're still achievable and relevant to
your goals. There you have a guys, that's pretty much
the basis of these deadline hacks. It's pretty simple. They're
going to help you stay on track. They're gonna help
you crush your goals. You need to have a finish line,
and who knows, maybe y'all you'll have some fun along
the way. Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but we can dream, right.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
No, I'm just cheasing.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
You know how much I love achieving goals from a
place of self love, self worth and not from self sacrifice.
So we will be enjoying the process. So, now that
we have these goals set, we'll be discussing the cognitive
biases that may limit your progress towards your goals. What
a cognitive biases and fancy terms is systemic thought processes
caused by this tendency of the human brain to simplify
(07:06):
information that we have by processing it through a filter
of our own personal experiences and preferences. Sounds familiar, I know,
I know, because it happens so much in our lives.
We filter the world through which we see through that lens.
And that was a complicated way of saying these are
sneaky little tricks that our brains play on us, making
us think we're making rational decisions when we're actually just
(07:28):
winging it. For instance, if you've ever found yourself drowning
in the sea of procrastination, maybe you're swamped by deadlines
and unable.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
To resist the seductive lure of Love is Blind on Netflix.
Or maybe you've convinced yourself that you can totally finish
that twenty paged paper in two hours at midnight, only
to find yourself crying at two am because you have
nothing but a blank word document staring back at you.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Yeah, me either, neither. But fear not, y'all, for real,
because there are solutions to these problems. So if we're
gonna be talking about these cognitive biases that we all
fall prey to at some point or another when it
comes to sending deadline, these are the ones that make
us think that everything is an emergency, that we're all
better at time management than we really are, and that
just keep us obsessing over that one thing that we
(08:13):
just can't let go of. But don't worry, We're not
gonna just sit here and commiserate over our collective shortcomings.
We're also going to learn how to overcome them. So
let's dive in, because I have some tools for your
toolbox of strategies to help you avoid these pitfalls and
become the CEO of your own time. The first one
is the urgency fallacy. So have you ever found yourself
just like feeling so overwhelmed by this never ending to
(08:36):
do list, and you find yourself constantly rushing to complete tasks,
but you're neglecting those important ones. That is the urgency fallacy.
It's when everything feels like a race against time, but
nothing important gets done. It's this phenomenon of prioritizing tasks
that are time sensitive over tasks that are actually important
or way more important or have just a greater impact
(08:58):
on long term goals, feeling of just like always being
in a rush and never having enough time to do
what truly matters. And the result of this is just
this lack of focus, this lack of productivity, a whole
lot of stress, a whole lot of burnout. But we've
all been there spending hours and hours on these urgent
tasks and I say urgent and air quotes, only to
realize that we've neglected the important ones. And then you
(09:19):
realize those urgent tasks that you were doing were not
so urgent or important, and you feel like you wasted
your entire life and you're wondering if you'll ever recover. No,
I've never felt that way. Ohly, gonna stop just kidding.
It's so real. But don't worry, because there is a
really simple solution to this madness. And it is simple,
but I'm telling you it is so impactful, and it's
the Eisenhower matrix. And this was named after Dwight Eisenhower
(09:43):
because he had famously said, I have two kinds of problems,
that urgent and the important. The urgent are not important,
and the important are never urgent. And you would be thinking,
not another thing to do, a much to do list,
and I promise you sitting down and doing this is
not only going to be so helpful, but the more
you do it, it becomes second nature. So how does the
(10:04):
Eisenhower matrix work? Well, it's quite simple. You divide your
tasks into four quadrants based on their urgency and important.
The first quadrant is urgent and important and these are
the tasks that require your immediate attention and have a
significant impact on your long term goals. These are the
tasks that you should definitely prioritize and tackle first. The
next is the not urgent but they're important and these
(10:27):
tasks have a significant impact on your long term goals,
but they do not require immedia attention. They are the
tasks that you should schedule and plan for later, but
you should make sure that you do. The next are
urgent but not important. These are tasks that require immedia
attention but do not have a significant impact on your
long term goals. These are tasks that you could delegate
(10:48):
or automate. And lastly, you have not urgent and not important,
and these are tasks that don't require your immediate attention.
They don't have a significant impact on your long term goals,
but they are tasks that you should either men or elimonde. Now,
by using the Eisenhower matrix, you'll be able to prioritize
your tasks significantly more effectively, and this will help you
(11:08):
avoid the urgency policy altogether. You'll be able to focus
like all truly matters. You'll be able to prioritize your time.
You'll be able to achieve those long term goals without
that feeling of overwhelm or burnout, which we love. So
taking time to do this is going to have significant impact. Now,
show of hands. If you've ever felt like your brain
(11:29):
is constantly nagging at you about unfinished tasks, you know
that feeling you're like, oh my god, I got to
do this. It's like in there and it doesn't go away.
Don't worry, We've all been there. So this is called
the Zingarnik effect, which sounds like a really fancy supervillain
in a James Bond movie, but it's really just another
fancy and overly complicated word for another cognitive bias, which
(11:51):
is basically our brain's way of fixating on incomplete tasks,
which makes us feel like we're always behind on something.
So if you find yourself procrastinating, don't beat yourself up.
It's not because you're lazy. It's because your brain is
wired to want to finish what it started, even if
it feels so big and overwhelming. But now that we're
aware of this phenomenon, we're able to actually combat it,
(12:12):
which is why I'm speaking to you in the first place.
So the first thing that you can do is complete
your tasks. I mean, that feels like a nuh no brainer,
but for real, finishing those tasks will make you feel better.
And when you complete a task, you allow your brain
to reduce that sense of urgency, which is going to
give you a sense of relief. And so either complete
the task or reprioritize it and get it off of
(12:32):
your to do list. Either way, that is probably the
first step in doing this. And if you find yourself
you're like better, like I can't finish it, Like I
don't have that ability right now, Well, there are other options,
and so one of them is take breaks. Your brain
needs a breather from time to time, so give it one.
And by taking breaks, you're able to focus on either
(12:54):
something else and let those unfinished tasks go for a
little while, and that's going to allow you to get
more inner, more perspective over whether or not it actually
needs to be completed, or more motivation to actually go
and complete this. Now, if you're anything like me, and
it's literally painful and debilitating sometimes to have these unfinished
(13:15):
tasks lying around, you can do something called the pomd'oro technique.
And no, it's not a fancy pasta dish, even though
when I first heard somebody tell me that, I thought
that's what they're talking about, and maybe it was because
I was hungry, But what it actually is is it's
where you break down your tasks through time. So maybe
you're working for twenty five minutes, you set a timer,
(13:35):
and then once that twenty five minutes is up, you
take a five minute break. And this is going to
help you complete smaller, more manageable chunks of your bigger
task and help you kind of chip away out what
needs to be done. And if twenty five minutes is
just too big or not enough time, you can set
your own time on time off system. But regardless, making
sure that you're allowing your brain a break is going
(13:57):
to help you so much. And I don't know about you,
but I love a good excuse to get up and
walk around for a coffee or something sweet, So allow
yourself that time to take a break. And that's really
going to help you finish those tasks. And I have
to say this, y'all because the benefits are always outstanding
and they're relevant here. But a great way to avoid
(14:18):
this bias is using mindfulness. And this is going to
allow you to focus on the present moment, let go
of those unfinished tasks for a moment, and if all
else fails, you can always go back to the Eisenhower
matrix that we just discussed so that you can reprioritize
what actually matters. So there you have it. Take breaks,
complete your tasks, time on, time off, Get mindful, and
(14:40):
reprioritize your task and this can help you avoid this
cognitive bias altogether. And remember, guys, you're not lazy. Your
brain just wants you to finish what you started. And
speaking of finishing what we started, there are some more
common cognitive biases when it comes to deadlines for your goal,
and one of them is the planning fallacy. You know
that thing that makes me think we can finish a
(15:01):
task in five minutes, only to find out that we've
been working for five hours. Yeah, that one. It's like
when you sit down to watch one of your favorite
shows and before you know it, you've literally watched the
entire season. Or maybe you set a goal for yourself
and think it'll be a breeze, but then you're hit
with that harsh reality that it's actually going to take
a lot more time, effort, and resources than you initially thought.
Or maybe it's like my personal hell where I'm always
(15:25):
late because I grossly underestimate how long it's going to
take me to get ready, or to get in my car,
or to actually drive where I'm going. Yeah, this is
the planning fallacy. It is such a common bias, and
it just pauses us to underestimate the amount of time costs,
risks of future actions while overestimating those benefits. It's like
our brains are wired to be overly optimistic and we
(15:48):
forget how to take into account all the things that
could go wrong. Don't worry. There are a few ways
that we can avoid falling into this trap, and the
first one is trying reference forecasting. And yes it sounds bougie,
but it's not. Basically, you take a look at your
past projects and they're similar to what you're trying to accomplish,
and you use that as your reference point. You can
(16:09):
always break down your tasks into smaller parts and set
realistic deadlines for each one while you're doing this, and
this is just going to give you a better idea
of how long it will actually take to complete the
entire project. Another strategy is to use external benchmarks, look
at what other people have done in similar situations and
use that as a guide for your own project. But
(16:30):
most importantly, when you're doing this, be realistic. Don't let
your optimism cloud your judgment. Take into account all of
the possible obstacles and stepbacks, and make sure that you're
planning accordingly. You may need to do this by taking
a step back and looking at the task from maybe
a different angle. This is usually my downfall is my excitement,
So allowing space to process the excitement before entering into
(16:53):
this project helps so much because I'm able to see
it from a different lens and make sure you're coming
into it little more realistically. And this brings us to
our final cognitive bias which we're going to touch on today,
which is the sunk cost fallacy, and it's that struggle
of quitting a task or a project that you've already
invested a lot of time, a lot of money, a
(17:14):
lot of resources into. It's when you found yourself stuck
in a task or a project and deep down you
know it's not working out, but you just can't seem
to quit it. And you are so not alone, my
friend with this, it's like trying to make fetch happen,
but it's not going to happen. Another way to look
at it that just really captures how difficult it is
to let go is maybe you're in a relationship and
(17:37):
it's not working out anymore. You've been with them for years,
You've invested so much time and resources into the relationship,
and you just can't seem to let it go. This
is similar in the case of our goals. This bias
describes like our tendency to continue investing time and resources
into a task or a project even though it's not
serving us, even though it's no longer productive. And this
(18:00):
is due to the sense of urgency to complete it.
So how do you overcome this? And first and foremost,
it's so important to just reevaluate your decision making process.
Identify when you are making decisions based on the sunk
cost rather than the future cost and benefits. When we
often get so caught up in what we've already invested
(18:22):
that we forget to consider what we stand to gain
or lose in the future. So when you're making these decisions,
focus on the future rather than the past. Instead of
dwelling on the sunk cost, consider the potential costs and
benefits of continuing with a project or investment. And if
you struggle to see it for yourself, maybe you can
(18:44):
enlist some outside opinions. And this can be hard. It
can be scary to ask someone else, But being able
to see beyond our own biases and emotions and getting
a fresh perspective from someone else can help us make
more objective decisions. And finally, y'all, getting clear criteria for
(19:04):
decision making can help us avoid the sunk cost fallacy altogether.
By creating a set of objectives, a set of rule standards,
we can ensure that our decisions are based on what
is best for us in the long run, rather than
our emotional attachment to our losses. So, next time you
find yourself struggling to let go of a task or
(19:25):
a project. Just remember the sunk cost fallacy and remember
the ways to overcome it. Y'all, You've got this. You
are so much stronger than your cognitive biases. You have
the power to change your future. You have the power
to go for your goals. You have the power to
know how to get there, and these tools are going
(19:46):
to help you. Being aware of these biases are going
to give you more confidence, more empowerment to make decisions
for your future. So thank you guys for listening. I
encourage you to apply these evidence based strategies and mindset
shifts into your everyday life. Please share with me online,
tag me on Instagram so that I could see maybe
(20:08):
how these have helped you or tools that you are
using now to help move you forward in your goals.
And thank you guys so much for listening. I am
forever grateful to have you here and I look forward
to seeing you in the future episodes. Thank you guys.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Bye.
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to the Gold Medal Mindset Podcast. I
am your host, Parna Huckabee, three time Paralympic gold medalist snowboarder,
here to encourage you to live a gold medal life,
one that is full of confidence, resilience, empowerment so that
you can be successful in your goals without sacrificing your
mental health and the things you care about most in
(00:21):
this world. Hello, Hello, Hello, my gold Mettal Minds. Today
we are getting into the T of the smart goal.
Finished out the S. We've finished out the M, the
A and the R, and now we're finishing out the T.
We have specific, we have measurable, we have attainable, we
have realistic, and today we are getting into timely. Let's
(00:41):
finish out this framework. Guys at one hundred percent, show up,
give your best. Giving your best does not mean giving
more than you have. I mean giving what you've got
in the best you've got. Maybe that's technically fifty percent
of your one hundred percent, and that is okay. Show up,
give it your all and a allow yourself this time
(01:01):
to learn something new. Come in with that beginner's mindset
if you already know it, and say you know what,
I'm going to walk away with something today that is
going to help me achieve my goal. Now, let's get
into this tea and what it specifically means. A goal
without a timely deadline is like having unseasoned food.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Big.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
I'm from Louisiana and I cannot think of anything worse.
It is bland, it is unappetizing. You don't really want
to eat it, you don't want to finish it. That
is how these goals work. But for real, let's think
about this. So would you start running in a race
if there were no finish line. Probably not. You're not
for uscump. I do not see you just running out
there into nothing. Timely goals and timely deadlines gives you
(01:42):
that finish lines you know where to work towards. It
gives you a clear endpoint, to know where to put
your focus, where to put your priorities, where to put
your task. There are other very important benefits that comes
to setting these deadlines. These deadlines are like these little
voices in the back of her head that are like
get after a lady. It to it in Heaven's y'all.
I don't know about you, but it works so well
(02:03):
for me clear and achievable deadline, y'all can light a
freaking fire in my butt to keep working towards these goals. Now,
some of you may be thinking deadlines, man, that sounds
so stressful, but hear me out, hear me out. Okay,
there are actual major benefits to setting clear and achievable deadlines.
First up, we have increased motivation when you set a deadline.
(02:24):
It creates the sense of urgency that can motivate us
to work towards achieving our goal. I don't know about you,
but sometimes I need a little kick in the butt
to get going, and a deadline can definitely provide that.
Actually get mad, y'all when I don't have a deadline,
attach to my goals because I know I'm going to
struggle to complete the goal. I know I'm going to
struggle to complete the task. I don't know if you
can relate with that, but that is my truth and
(02:47):
we are in it today. And this is because a
deadline can improve your time management. Setting a deadline can
help you prioritize your time and focus on what's actually important.
And this is one reason that I love having a
deadline because I can feel like I can effectively space
out my procrastination that you didn't think I was going
to say that. It's true. I'm human and I don't
(03:07):
know about you, but I used to get my butt
torn up because I waited till the last minute to
do homework, school projects, study for huge tests, whatever it was.
But having that deadline allowed me to get after it
when it counted. It allowed me to improve my planning
so that I didn't have to scramble at the last minute.
I could thrive at the last minute. Or maybe you're
better than I and you've spaced out your work a
bit better, which is honestly the ideal, and this allows
(03:29):
you to capitalize on just getting clear and measuring your
progress and seeing where things are working or where you
can get better, or even allows you to be more
ambitious in the futures. Deadlines can serve so many purposes.
Don't be afraid of them, embrace them, and watch your
motivation just skyrocket, because all in all, setting these achievable
deadlines is going to increase your motivation, improve your time management,
(03:54):
enhance your planning, allow for better progress tracking, give you
a sense of accomplishment, which is going to boost your
self confidence and it's going to help you set more
ambitious goals. Y'all, Deadlines don't have to be scary, and
deadlines don't have to lead to burnout. Deadlines can be healthy.
They can help you be smarter with how you use
your time. There's only twenty four hours in a day,
(04:16):
and I don't know about you, but I like to
spend a lot of those hours with my family and
doing the things that I love. So if I can
prioritize my work throughout different parts of the day, then
I can have more time for the things that I love.
So what are these evidence based strategies for achieving these goals?
I thought you'd never ask. Well, we have our normal lines,
like breaking down goals into smaller, more manageable tasks, prioritizing
(04:38):
tasks based on urgency and importance, using time blocking techniques
to schedule out your tasks, setting deadlines for each task,
and using accountability buddies to stay on track. But there
are more strategies to consider when it comes to deadlines.
And look, I know they can feel daunting. I know
that they can feel like a lot and scary and big,
But don't sweat it, because I really do have these
(05:00):
that are going to help you tackle them like the
boss that you are. So first off, we've got these
deadline anchors, and it sounds really fancy, right, but it's not.
It's just a way of saying that you need a
reference point for setting your deadlines. For example, if you're
planning a product launch, the launch day itself can be
your anchor point, and this is going to help make
sure that all the tasks you needed to complete this
(05:21):
launch are done in time for that big day. Maybe
you're a student and an anchor deadline could be based on
the due date of your assignment. It's really not that
complicated when you're doing these deadline anchors. What you really
need to consider is these petty external factors that can
totally throw a wrench in your plans, things like holidays. Again,
maybe it's not so pesky that it's kind of nice,
unless maybe you're with your in lusks Jack I love them,
(05:43):
work schedules, or even a global pandemic. Right, It's important
to take these factors into account when you're setting your
deadlines so that you're not setting yourself up for failure
by choosing a deadline that's just impossible to meet because
external factors. They exist, and they're there, and we have
technology and the ability to schedule and plan around them.
(06:04):
So really making sure that you're taking time to think
about these external factors. And if you did set an
overly ambitious deadline, don't worry because you can always review
and adjust your deadlines as needed. Y'all. Life happens, things happen,
and deadlines may need to shift. But by keeping an
eye on your progress and regularly adjusting your deadline, you
(06:25):
can make sure that they're still achievable and relevant to
your goals. There you have a guys, that's pretty much
the basis of these deadline hacks. It's pretty simple. They're
going to help you stay on track. They're gonna help
you crush your goals. You need to have a finish line,
and who knows, maybe y'all you'll have some fun along
the way. Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but we can dream, right.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
No, I'm just cheasing.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
You know how much I love achieving goals from a
place of self love, self worth and not from self sacrifice.
So we will be enjoying the process. So, now that
we have these goals set, we'll be discussing the cognitive
biases that may limit your progress towards your goals. What
a cognitive biases and fancy terms is systemic thought processes
caused by this tendency of the human brain to simplify
(07:06):
information that we have by processing it through a filter
of our own personal experiences and preferences. Sounds familiar, I know,
I know, because it happens so much in our lives.
We filter the world through which we see through that lens.
And that was a complicated way of saying these are
sneaky little tricks that our brains play on us, making
us think we're making rational decisions when we're actually just
(07:28):
winging it. For instance, if you've ever found yourself drowning
in the sea of procrastination, maybe you're swamped by deadlines
and unable.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
To resist the seductive lure of Love is Blind on Netflix.
Or maybe you've convinced yourself that you can totally finish
that twenty paged paper in two hours at midnight, only
to find yourself crying at two am because you have
nothing but a blank word document staring back at you.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Yeah, me either, neither. But fear not, y'all, for real,
because there are solutions to these problems. So if we're
gonna be talking about these cognitive biases that we all
fall prey to at some point or another when it
comes to sending deadline, these are the ones that make
us think that everything is an emergency, that we're all
better at time management than we really are, and that
just keep us obsessing over that one thing that we
(08:13):
just can't let go of. But don't worry, We're not
gonna just sit here and commiserate over our collective shortcomings.
We're also going to learn how to overcome them. So
let's dive in, because I have some tools for your
toolbox of strategies to help you avoid these pitfalls and
become the CEO of your own time. The first one
is the urgency fallacy. So have you ever found yourself
just like feeling so overwhelmed by this never ending to
(08:36):
do list, and you find yourself constantly rushing to complete tasks,
but you're neglecting those important ones. That is the urgency fallacy.
It's when everything feels like a race against time, but
nothing important gets done. It's this phenomenon of prioritizing tasks
that are time sensitive over tasks that are actually important
or way more important or have just a greater impact
(08:58):
on long term goals, feeling of just like always being
in a rush and never having enough time to do
what truly matters. And the result of this is just
this lack of focus, this lack of productivity, a whole
lot of stress, a whole lot of burnout. But we've
all been there spending hours and hours on these urgent
tasks and I say urgent and air quotes, only to
realize that we've neglected the important ones. And then you
(09:19):
realize those urgent tasks that you were doing were not
so urgent or important, and you feel like you wasted
your entire life and you're wondering if you'll ever recover. No,
I've never felt that way. Ohly, gonna stop just kidding.
It's so real. But don't worry, because there is a
really simple solution to this madness. And it is simple,
but I'm telling you it is so impactful, and it's
the Eisenhower matrix. And this was named after Dwight Eisenhower
(09:43):
because he had famously said, I have two kinds of problems,
that urgent and the important. The urgent are not important,
and the important are never urgent. And you would be thinking,
not another thing to do, a much to do list,
and I promise you sitting down and doing this is
not only going to be so helpful, but the more
you do it, it becomes second nature. So how does the
(10:04):
Eisenhower matrix work? Well, it's quite simple. You divide your
tasks into four quadrants based on their urgency and important.
The first quadrant is urgent and important and these are
the tasks that require your immediate attention and have a
significant impact on your long term goals. These are the
tasks that you should definitely prioritize and tackle first. The
next is the not urgent but they're important and these
(10:27):
tasks have a significant impact on your long term goals,
but they do not require immedia attention. They are the
tasks that you should schedule and plan for later, but
you should make sure that you do. The next are
urgent but not important. These are tasks that require immedia
attention but do not have a significant impact on your
long term goals. These are tasks that you could delegate
(10:48):
or automate. And lastly, you have not urgent and not important,
and these are tasks that don't require your immediate attention.
They don't have a significant impact on your long term goals,
but they are tasks that you should either men or elimonde. Now,
by using the Eisenhower matrix, you'll be able to prioritize
your tasks significantly more effectively, and this will help you
(11:08):
avoid the urgency policy altogether. You'll be able to focus
like all truly matters. You'll be able to prioritize your time.
You'll be able to achieve those long term goals without
that feeling of overwhelm or burnout, which we love. So
taking time to do this is going to have significant impact. Now,
show of hands. If you've ever felt like your brain
(11:29):
is constantly nagging at you about unfinished tasks, you know
that feeling you're like, oh my god, I got to
do this. It's like in there and it doesn't go away.
Don't worry, We've all been there. So this is called
the Zingarnik effect, which sounds like a really fancy supervillain
in a James Bond movie, but it's really just another
fancy and overly complicated word for another cognitive bias, which
(11:51):
is basically our brain's way of fixating on incomplete tasks,
which makes us feel like we're always behind on something.
So if you find yourself procrastinating, don't beat yourself up.
It's not because you're lazy. It's because your brain is
wired to want to finish what it started, even if
it feels so big and overwhelming. But now that we're
aware of this phenomenon, we're able to actually combat it,
(12:12):
which is why I'm speaking to you in the first place.
So the first thing that you can do is complete
your tasks. I mean, that feels like a nuh no brainer,
but for real, finishing those tasks will make you feel better.
And when you complete a task, you allow your brain
to reduce that sense of urgency, which is going to
give you a sense of relief. And so either complete
the task or reprioritize it and get it off of
(12:32):
your to do list. Either way, that is probably the
first step in doing this. And if you find yourself
you're like better, like I can't finish it, Like I
don't have that ability right now, Well, there are other options,
and so one of them is take breaks. Your brain
needs a breather from time to time, so give it one.
And by taking breaks, you're able to focus on either
(12:54):
something else and let those unfinished tasks go for a
little while, and that's going to allow you to get
more inner, more perspective over whether or not it actually
needs to be completed, or more motivation to actually go
and complete this. Now, if you're anything like me, and
it's literally painful and debilitating sometimes to have these unfinished
(13:15):
tasks lying around, you can do something called the pomd'oro technique.
And no, it's not a fancy pasta dish, even though
when I first heard somebody tell me that, I thought
that's what they're talking about, and maybe it was because
I was hungry, But what it actually is is it's
where you break down your tasks through time. So maybe
you're working for twenty five minutes, you set a timer,
(13:35):
and then once that twenty five minutes is up, you
take a five minute break. And this is going to
help you complete smaller, more manageable chunks of your bigger
task and help you kind of chip away out what
needs to be done. And if twenty five minutes is
just too big or not enough time, you can set
your own time on time off system. But regardless, making
sure that you're allowing your brain a break is going
(13:57):
to help you so much. And I don't know about you,
but I love a good excuse to get up and
walk around for a coffee or something sweet, So allow
yourself that time to take a break. And that's really
going to help you finish those tasks. And I have
to say this, y'all because the benefits are always outstanding
and they're relevant here. But a great way to avoid
(14:18):
this bias is using mindfulness. And this is going to
allow you to focus on the present moment, let go
of those unfinished tasks for a moment, and if all
else fails, you can always go back to the Eisenhower
matrix that we just discussed so that you can reprioritize
what actually matters. So there you have it. Take breaks,
complete your tasks, time on, time off, Get mindful, and
(14:40):
reprioritize your task and this can help you avoid this
cognitive bias altogether. And remember, guys, you're not lazy. Your
brain just wants you to finish what you started. And
speaking of finishing what we started, there are some more
common cognitive biases when it comes to deadlines for your goal,
and one of them is the planning fallacy. You know
that thing that makes me think we can finish a
(15:01):
task in five minutes, only to find out that we've
been working for five hours. Yeah, that one. It's like
when you sit down to watch one of your favorite
shows and before you know it, you've literally watched the
entire season. Or maybe you set a goal for yourself
and think it'll be a breeze, but then you're hit
with that harsh reality that it's actually going to take
a lot more time, effort, and resources than you initially thought.
Or maybe it's like my personal hell where I'm always
(15:25):
late because I grossly underestimate how long it's going to
take me to get ready, or to get in my car,
or to actually drive where I'm going. Yeah, this is
the planning fallacy. It is such a common bias, and
it just pauses us to underestimate the amount of time costs,
risks of future actions while overestimating those benefits. It's like
our brains are wired to be overly optimistic and we
(15:48):
forget how to take into account all the things that
could go wrong. Don't worry. There are a few ways
that we can avoid falling into this trap, and the
first one is trying reference forecasting. And yes it sounds bougie,
but it's not. Basically, you take a look at your
past projects and they're similar to what you're trying to accomplish,
and you use that as your reference point. You can
(16:09):
always break down your tasks into smaller parts and set
realistic deadlines for each one while you're doing this, and
this is just going to give you a better idea
of how long it will actually take to complete the
entire project. Another strategy is to use external benchmarks, look
at what other people have done in similar situations and
use that as a guide for your own project. But
(16:30):
most importantly, when you're doing this, be realistic. Don't let
your optimism cloud your judgment. Take into account all of
the possible obstacles and stepbacks, and make sure that you're
planning accordingly. You may need to do this by taking
a step back and looking at the task from maybe
a different angle. This is usually my downfall is my excitement,
So allowing space to process the excitement before entering into
(16:53):
this project helps so much because I'm able to see
it from a different lens and make sure you're coming
into it little more realistically. And this brings us to
our final cognitive bias which we're going to touch on today,
which is the sunk cost fallacy, and it's that struggle
of quitting a task or a project that you've already
invested a lot of time, a lot of money, a
(17:14):
lot of resources into. It's when you found yourself stuck
in a task or a project and deep down you
know it's not working out, but you just can't seem
to quit it. And you are so not alone, my
friend with this, it's like trying to make fetch happen,
but it's not going to happen. Another way to look
at it that just really captures how difficult it is
to let go is maybe you're in a relationship and
(17:37):
it's not working out anymore. You've been with them for years,
You've invested so much time and resources into the relationship,
and you just can't seem to let it go. This
is similar in the case of our goals. This bias
describes like our tendency to continue investing time and resources
into a task or a project even though it's not
serving us, even though it's no longer productive. And this
(18:00):
is due to the sense of urgency to complete it.
So how do you overcome this? And first and foremost,
it's so important to just reevaluate your decision making process.
Identify when you are making decisions based on the sunk
cost rather than the future cost and benefits. When we
often get so caught up in what we've already invested
(18:22):
that we forget to consider what we stand to gain
or lose in the future. So when you're making these decisions,
focus on the future rather than the past. Instead of
dwelling on the sunk cost, consider the potential costs and
benefits of continuing with a project or investment. And if
you struggle to see it for yourself, maybe you can
(18:44):
enlist some outside opinions. And this can be hard. It
can be scary to ask someone else, But being able
to see beyond our own biases and emotions and getting
a fresh perspective from someone else can help us make
more objective decisions. And finally, y'all, getting clear criteria for
(19:04):
decision making can help us avoid the sunk cost fallacy altogether.
By creating a set of objectives, a set of rule standards,
we can ensure that our decisions are based on what
is best for us in the long run, rather than
our emotional attachment to our losses. So, next time you
find yourself struggling to let go of a task or
(19:25):
a project. Just remember the sunk cost fallacy and remember
the ways to overcome it. Y'all, You've got this. You
are so much stronger than your cognitive biases. You have
the power to change your future. You have the power
to go for your goals. You have the power to
know how to get there, and these tools are going
(19:46):
to help you. Being aware of these biases are going
to give you more confidence, more empowerment to make decisions
for your future. So thank you guys for listening. I
encourage you to apply these evidence based strategies and mindset
shifts into your everyday life. Please share with me online,
tag me on Instagram so that I could see maybe
(20:08):
how these have helped you or tools that you are
using now to help move you forward in your goals.
And thank you guys so much for listening. I am
forever grateful to have you here and I look forward
to seeing you in the future episodes. Thank you guys.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Bye.
Host
Brenna Huckaby
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