How we simultaneously underestimate and overestimate ourselves, and how to avoid both
Is there any more overused cliché than “less is more”?
I guess that’s kind of ironic, given the spirit of the saying. But I digress.
There’s an application for the aphorism that I don’t think gets enough attention. It has to do with achieving goals and managing tasks. When it comes to estimating the goals you can achieve in a given time, we tend to underestimate ourselves. But we shouldn’t.
However, when it comes to filling up our to-do lists for the day, we tend to overestimate what we can get done. But once again, we shouldn’t.
Both of these errors in estimation yield the same result: we get frustrated. Our motivation dwindles. We fall short of what we know is our potential.
And as I pointed out at the outset, the fix is simple: remember that less is more.
Goals: More is More
If you are serious about your goals, you need to dedicate a separate block of time for thinking about them. And during that time, resist the urge to think small. That is, think only about the what, and not about the how.
Rather than thinking about how you will achieve the goal, and letting that dictate what the goal is, think about what you really want. Then, put it into words that reflect your honest desire for what you want things to be like. Don’t be afraid to go big.
That’s the what. That’s the more portion.
Tasks: More is Less
Once goals are set, carve out a different block of time to think about the how. This is where you plan out the steps.
This is where you think about how long it might take. It’s when you get realistic, and descend from the heights of your ambitious future down to what you can actually do in the present. This is the less part.
Resist the temptation to think that tomorrow’s to-do list has to be as grandiose as your goals. Remember that goals aren’t achieved in a day. Achieving them is a marathon, not a sprint. So pace yourself. Failing to do so will just end up burning you out quickly. The result will be fewer goals achieved, or much less satisfying versions of goals achieved.
More ends up being less.
The Balance
The truth is, we don’t usually get as many things done in a day as we think we could (or should). And when we write down a bunch of items on today’s list, we unconsciously create an expectation of ourselves that those things will get done. And when they don’t, we feel let down.
That feeling saps our motivation for tomorrow. And as long as that process repeats each day, it acts like a hole in our fuel line. The vital fuel that we need to reach our goals leaks out and we run out of gas long before we accomplish what we set out to.
The way to avoid this is to think small when planning the tasks for each day. Build a smaller to do list. Put fewer,—but more important—things on the list. Allow for buffer time to handle the inevitable “other stuff” that comes up each day.
Repeat this each day. Over time, less becomes more. Put less on your plate each day, achieve more over time.