To some, planning gives dopamine and thrill, and to others, it’s a chore. However, in both cases, what is missing is action, which means progress awaits and has not started, in parallel with the planning. This can make planning feel like one is trapped in a timeline, and where planning becomes pressure and not actually progress. This article talks in depth about the reasons why we feel his way and the feeling of being trapped in a timeline.
Read More: Navigating the Pressures Shaping Youth Mental Health: A Discussion
Why do we over-plan things?
Often, we love to overplan and even overanalyse things. How much in advance to pack for a trip, rehearsing a script for an upcoming interview, even forming possible conversations from the other person’s perspective, and so much more. Even the more uncontrollable things, such as a drive to a faraway place or a plane ride, can affect someone’s health. And more can feel like a pressure that you somehow need to have control over. More than planning things to have order, it gives us something called the illusion of control. In simple words, with respect to planning for things, ‘viewing uncontrollable events as being within their control helps support mental well-being(MSEd, 2024h)’.
This feeds into the self-serving as well as optimism bias, whereby, by trying to plan events or conversations or even possible outcomes, one feels like they are serving themselves that everything will be okay and go right. It also momentarily provided stress relief since planning things releases dopamine. Which can give that sense of happiness and control, even over uncontrollable events and outcomes.
Paralysis by analysis and choice overload
Time crunch leads to control, and that leads to wanting to make decisions faster, and if one has multiple options to choose from or minimum complex ones, it can lead to confusion and choice overload and anxiety and further to something called as paralysis by analysis. Here, on analysis, and also tries to plan things to the last detail, hoping it gives them a sense of control, but instead puts one in a position where they feel trapped in a pipeline (Iyengar, S. S., & Lepper, M. R., 2000).
For example, choosing which university to choose to study at, when one has multiple options, one gets choice overload. To analyse every place by its nature and possible other factors means a somewhat standstill where your energy is wasted by just deciding where to go or shortlist or the life post being there rather than the current action needed to get into either. ‘research has shown that as the attractiveness of alternatives rises, individuals experience conflict and as a result tend to defer decision, search for new alternatives, choose the default option, or simply opt not to choose (Dhar, 1997; Shafir, Simonson, & Tversky, 1993; Shafir & Tversky, 1992).
Read More: How to deal with a Conflict?
Perfectionism, comparison and the ‘timeline fallacy’
Oftentimes, one procrastinates because one wants to start something and do it with perfection. Whether that’s a project, an assignment, a talk, or even making a decision and so on. This is also followed by social comparison. Will the choice made by the person be accepted by society, and how will it look from another person’s perspective? This puts us into a time crunch as well as a timeline fallacy where we feel like we are pressured to plan things, do our research and also do the right things within that time. All of this leads to pressure of planning and overanalysing, but no progress(Fatemeh Jadidi, 2011).
Read More: Perfectionism, Procrastination and Paralysis
Conclusion
To conclude and summarise, it is fair to say that we put extreme pressure on ourselves to act in a timeline where we want to plan things and make the right choices, so we overanalyse. Concepts like choice overload, analysis paralysis, as well as dilemmas brought by social compassion, only delayed the process and their progress.
FAQs
1. What is the illusion of control?
In simple words, with respect to planning for things, viewing uncontrollable events as being within their control helps support mental well-being.
2. How does perfectionism lead to the time fallacy?
Oftentimes, one procrastinates because one wants to start something and do it with perfection. Whether that’s a project, an assignment, a talk, or even making a decision and so on. This is also followed by social comparison. Will the choice made by the person be accepted by society, and how will it look from another person’s perspective? This puts us into a time crunch as well as a timeline fallacy
3. Why does overplanning lead to no progress?
Time crunch leads to control, and that leads to wanting to make decisions faster, and if one has multiple options to choose from or minimum complex ones, it can lead to confusion and choice overload and anxiety and further to something called as paralysis by analysis. Here, on analyse and also try to plan things to the last detail, hoping it gives them a sense of control. But instead puts one in a position where they feel trapped in a pipeline.
References +
MSEd, K. C. (2024h, May 24). What to know about the illusion of control. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-illusion-of-control-5198406
Clark L, Wohl MJA. Langer’s illusion of control and the cognitive model of disordered gambling. Addiction. 2022 Apr;117(4):1146-1151. doi: 10.1111/add.. 15649. Epub 2021 Sep 8. PMID: 34318962; PMCID: PMC9292938.
Iyengar, S. S., & Lepper, M. R. (2000). When choice is demotivating: Can one desire too much of a good thing? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(6), 995–1006. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.79.6.995
Fatemeh Jadidi, Shahram Mohammadkhani, Komeil Zahedi Tajrishi, Perfectionism and Academic Procrastination, Procedia – Social and Behavioural Sciences, Volume 30,2011, Pages 534-537. Behavioural, ISSN 1877-0428, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.10.104.
P.L. Hewitt, G.L. Flett (Eds.), Perfectionism and maladjustment: An overview of theoretical, definitional and treatment issues, American Psychological Association, Washington, DC (2002), pp. 5-31
Fatemeh Jadidi, Shahram Mohammadkhani, Komeil Zahedi Tajrishi, Perfectionism and Academic Procrastination, Procedia – Social and Behavioural Sciences, Volume 30,2011, Pages 534-537, ISSN 1877-0428, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.10.104.
