Woolgathering #151: "Give Me 6 Hours to Chop Down a Tree.."
How we consistently overlook a crucial investment of our time, how to avoid mistakes in judging others, and how to better estimate time
Supposedly, Abraham Lincoln once said:
Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree, and I’ll spend the first 4 sharpening the axe.
The jury is out on whether the quote originates with him, or if he even said it at all. But either way, it has stood the test of time. There’s something to the idea. It seems like the “hard work” is where most of our time should go. But the time we spend preparing is much more valuable.
But like the moral of this next story, it’s one we often agree with when we hear it, but quickly forget when it’s actually time to apply it.
A man goes to a Zen master and says “I need help. I’m stressed, I’m overwhelmed, my mind races all the time, and it all feels like it’s all too much. What can I do?”
The Zen master tells the man “you should meditate for 20 minutes.”
The man, frustrated answers “but I can’t meditate for 20 minutes. There’s too much to do. I just don’t have the time.”
The Zen master nods his head, closes his eyes, and thinks for a few seconds. He opens his eyes and answers “I see. Then you had better meditate for an hour.”
The point is, we often underestimate the value of time spent planning. As a result, we fail to invest adequate time in it.
It’s exactly when we feel like we don’t have time to think, plan, and prepare that it will help us the most.
Don’t Make the Fundamental Attribution Error
Cognitive biases are all the rage these days. Writers all over the internet are abuzz with explanations of these flawed ways of reasoning that trip up our ability to be smart about various things. And for good reason — overcoming cognitive biases is key to getting smarter, making better decisions, and advancing in your chosen field.
But there’s one cognitive bias in particular that’s not only intellectually problematic, it’s also morally problematic — as well as completely harmful to our own self-interest. It’s a veritable triple-threat in the world of cognitive biases.
The fundamental attribution error is the tendency for people to over-emphasize personality-based explanations for peoples’ behavior, while under-emphasizing situational explanations. It also includes the tendency to draw conclusions about peoples’ character based on limited examples of their behavior.
There are 3 different problems that stem from this error—all of which can harm you in the long run. But there are ways to identify when you’re doing it, and avoid it.
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A Few Interesting Links
What’s Your “Surface Area of Concern”?
Chris Bailey discusses a phenomenon you deal with daily, but probably don’t have a name for it. What does yours look like? Are you able to manage it?
The Story of the Inventor Who Sued Ford for Stealing His Idea…and Won!
Robert Kearns invented the intermittent windshield wiper, and built a prototype in his basement. When he pitched it to the big auto makers, they rejected him. Then one of them stole his idea. Kearns could have settled early on and got a hefty payment. But he fought for years more on principle. It’s a fascinating story.
Have You Been Measuring Flour Incorrectly All These Years?!
I suspected I had, and now I’m sure of it. The next batch of cookies I make are going to be killer. But this begs the question. What other things did I (incorrectly) assume I was doing right because they seemed so simple?
Parting Words
“When you judge others, you do not define them; you define yourself.”
- Earl Nightingale