Mental traps that kill our productivity

1. Perseverance

Perseverance is a continuation of the work when the result is no longer important. Perseverance is most often a familiar course of action that does not bring its original benefits. As a special case - pleasure without pleasure.

Example: you were asked to give a speech at a meeting, you are preparing it, but at that time you called and said that the meeting is canceled, but you persist and continue to rehearse the speech. Work after the call is not useful, but it takes time. Another example is when you watch a movie you don’t like.

A means of fighting stubbornness is understanding what you are doing and why, understanding the purpose of your action and the value of your time.
2. Amplification

Amplification is an exaggeration, amplification, use of more resources than required. Amplification is born out of uncertainty that the result is achieved. This trap can also be called a perfectionist trap.

Example: you had to analyze five suppliers, and you analyzed ten. For what? To be sure a little more? Then you need to analyze another 10 suppliers. And then another 10. You can never be 100% convinced of something, there will always be some doubts.

To combat insecurity in achieving a result, it is necessary to quantify the result, and record the achievement in writing in a check list or diary.
3. Commit

Fixation is a state of inaction in anticipation of something. This is probably the most common trap. We are fixed constantly: we are waiting for a call, meeting, taxi, and at this moment are inactive.

Example: our virtual interlocutor began to write a response message, and we froze in anticipation of “what will he write to us” - we fixed ourselves. 10 seconds, 20 seconds, a minute. So the interlocutor stopped, and we were about to move away, but he began to print again. There is no useful work, but resources are consumed. Fixation is a sheer waste of time.

How to deal with fixation? First, you need to become a catcher of your thoughts. When you are inactive, but “chasing” thoughts about the expected event, you are building a bridge from the future to the present and expect that the future will come earlier on this bridge. Catch these thoughts. Secondly, when you catch your thoughts on the future, start living in the present. Look at what is around you, read it, make a long-delayed call - fill in the pause.
4. Advance

Advance is the beginning of the work too early in the case when a small expectation will cancel or reduce part of the work.

Example: you prepared a report and, deciding that next month it will be the same, you did the next month, but in a month the situation has changed, and it needs to be redone completely. Resources were spent, and useful work became useless.

The solution to this problem is quite simple - to do only one thing at a time according to priority. If new information appears, then revise the priority.
5. Reverse

Reversion is a reference to the past. We cannot change anything, but over and over we scroll through the situation and look for the best solution.

Example: you had a conflict with a colleague. And all evening you think that you did wrong, what you had to do, and what you will do the next day.

You can deal with reversion in the following way: analyze the situation, draw conclusions and forget. Otherwise, thoughts about the past will be like tsunamis - roll over and over.
6. Resistance

Resistance is the continuation of the current task when new information has appeared and the priority has changed.

Example: you do something, you want to go to the toilet, and endure until you finish doing it. Then run to the toilet and drop the vase - this is the punishment for resistance. The work is still useful, but the benefit has decreased and efficiency, respectively, too.

The solution is also quite simple - when new information appears, you need to evaluate how it affects the current business. Either it changes its priority, and it becomes less important, or the other becomes more important. Or a new business is small, and you just need to wedge it into the current one. In these cases, do not resist.