Today, we are going to be talking about bikeshedding, also known as Parkinson’s Law of Triviality. There is definitely a reason I am talking about this topic right now, as it very much impacts us all at this time of extreme change during the coronavirus pandemic. This is part of a series of sorts in talking about concepts that are relevant to our changing lives and many of us being sequestered at home and doing most everything virtually (some for the very first time).
As with most concepts you will hear me talk about on this show, bikeshedding is something we do all the time and don’t really realize it is happening. The thing that makes this concept different from a lot of others is how much it is holding us all back ALL THE TIME without our conscious consent. You may call this “being a perfectionist” and many of us ambitious folks struggle with this tendency. The thing is, for the most part people are not suffering from perfectionism in every aspect and possible decision. They tend to get hung up on really tiny details that don’t matter so much in the long run.
The question is: why do those things get so much of our attention? Why do they feel so important in the moment and like you can’t move forward until they are dealt with?
More often than not, this is because your brain is bikeshedding (and essentially avoiding a more important topic that makes it scared or nervous).
Here’s what you can expect in this episode: I will give you an explanation of what bikeshedding is, with some of the most common examples. Then I am going to give you a list of questions that you can ask yourself (and explain why those particular questions matter) to help you shake things up and get out of that bikeshedding mindset so you can actually achieve goals and move forward. Be sure to get your freebie worksheet on bikeshedding to help you overcome this sneaky brain trick.
