We typically fail to estimate how long it would take us to complete simple and complex tasks alike, often leaning in favour of optimism. Few understand the fallacy and schedule extra time in their days.
But why does that happen for us, and how does that apply to our fitness goals? More importantly, what can we do about it?
Let’s discuss.
The Planning Fallacy
The planning fallacy is a term psychologists use to describe our tendency to underestimate how long a task would take us.
One of the most popular examples of the planning fallacy relates to the construction of the Sydney Opera House. What initially began as a relatively simple project morphed into a colossal affair that took an extra decade to complete.
Apparently, we tend to overlook details, unexpected situations, and historical data when making predictions. As a result, we err on the side of optimism, grossly underestimating the effort and time it takes us to achieve different things.
For example, someone interested in painting a room might conclude that doing so will take a few hours or a couple of days. “The room is small, so it won’t take that long.” But, people fail to realize that:
- Unexpected situations occur – for example, one of the walls might need extra work
- We often don’t learn from past experiences
In case you’re wondering, the planning fallacy also runs strong in people’s fitness pursuits.
How The Planning Fallacy Sets You Up For Failure
The planning fallacy applies to fitness, and many people set themselves up for failure from the start. One reason why this happens is that people don’t know any better. Many trainees lack experience with strength training and weight loss, thinking that both objectives take short periods to accomplish.
The second reason for the common planning fallacy in fitness relates to misleading advertising. Countless supplement manufacturers, fitness gurus, and ‘dietitians’ tout their unique approaches (diets, programs, and supplements) by making false claims. For example, many diets come with outrageous promises, such as:
- Lose 20 kilograms in the next two months.
- Attain a six-pack in six weeks.
Sure, these claims sound nice on paper, but they don’t work in real life. People who don’t know better believe the claims, only to end up disappointed when they fail to achieve results in the promised time. In truth, reaching your weight loss goals can easily take two, even three times as long.
The planning fallacy also plagues strength training. Many trainees believe that getting strong happens quickly and effortlessly. The truth is, gaining strength occurs slowly, and most people need many years of dedicated training to achieve respectable numbers.
So, what does all of this mean?
Most notably, things often take longer than expected. Regardless of how long we believe something will take, we should always plan for extra time and remain patient while working toward our goals.
