Have you ever agreed to do something in the future just because it seems a long time from now? You might think, “Well, I’m too busy at the moment but I’ll have more time six months from now.” If so, you might be interested to know that it’s a common cognitive bias that even has a name. The “Yes…Damn” Effect. In other words, you say yes in the moment but when the day arrives you say, “Damn! Why did I agree to that?”

This is my Achilles Heel of personal productivity. I do a great job planning my day, week, quarter and year…all aligned with my life purpose and vision. But where I fall short is agreeing to commitments just because they’re in the future.

Until a few weeks ago, I didn’t even realize this was a thing. When I complain about having a jam-packed calendar, my husband comments, “You’re the only one responsible for that.” That doesn’t usually land well. But he has a point. I’m my own boss and yet sometimes I act like a victim.

Recently, I stumbled upon this tricky decision-making bias that I fall prey to over and over.

If you google “Yes…Damn” Effect, you’ll discover it’s not a new idea. There’s a great article in Medium that describes the effect and suggests how to counteract it. It’s also listed in Wikipedia with a fancy name: “time inconsistency”!

But let's see how it might apply to your efforts to manage your life and your time.

Have you ever said yes to one thing (“Sure, I’ll go to Mexico for that long weekend with my buddies in November!”)...

And then another (“Wow, I am so honored to present the Hardest Worker of the Year Award to Joe. He deserves it. It’s the night after I get home from Mexico but that'll be all right")...

And then a third (“I’ve gotta finish the final report for my client project but at least I’ll get it done before vacation”).

Woops! Fast forward to November. Either you're desperate to get out of a commitment or stoically following through because you promised.

Can you relate?

If so, here's what I learned from a great Hidden Brain podcast.

Step One: Next time I'm tempted to say yes to something in the future, I’ll imagine I’m being asked to do it this week. Given my existing commitments, would I add another one this Thursday? That can counteract the tendency to agree thinking I’ll have more time in the future.

Step Two: If I could add another commitment this week, I’ll ask myself, “Even if I could fit this in, would I want to turn it down because it’s not aligned with my greater life purpose?” If the answer is yes, I would want to turn it down, I’ll either renegotiate the offer so it is aligned or say no. Just pushing something into the future isn’t going to magically fix the mismatch.

I’m not sure how this is going to play out, to be honest. I suspect I’ll discover all sorts of other reasons why I say yes to things I want to say no to. But it’s a start.

What about you? If the "Yes…Damn" Effect resonates with you, are you willing to try these two steps and see what you discover? It could be an important step toward proactively claiming the life you want to live.

Please share your ideas in the Comments Box below.

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