It was meant to be a 30-minute call to finalize a board paper. Twenty minutes in, we are debating whether the word should be ‘ambiguity’ or ‘unknown’. Meanwhile, the bigger, more uncomfortable problem hung in the air like a bad smell.
No one wanted to mention it.
Debating between the two words felt comfortable, and it distracted us from the harder problem to solve.
This is bikeshedding in action.
What is bikeshedding?
Bikeshedding is the tendency to focus on trivial details while glossing over or ignoring the important and more difficult tasks.
Why does it happen?
Our brains have a preference toward expending as little energy as possible. So, when given a choice between easy and hard, it will prioritize the easy task. The more complex the task, the more effort our brains need to expend. The trivial tasks aren’t impactful, but they feel good. They are concrete. They provide a quick win. That rush of “I did something” is rewarding even if that something does nothing to move the needle on the goal we need to progress. That’s where the trap is set. We are busy doing trivial, unimportant things, and we confuse that busyness with being productive.
A few more examples
Bikeshedding shows up in all aspects of our lives. Here are a few examples I have observed.
The great WFH vs RTO Debate: Organizations are facing some monumental challenges. Skills gaps. Aging workforce. Climate crisis impact on business. AI impact on business. The need to modernize and evolve how leaders lead - just to name a few. Yet, so much focus and effort on where people work. If the work is getting done and outcomes are being delivered, does it really matter if people are in the office 5 days a week, 3 days a week, or no days a week? Of course not, but mandating people back into the office is way easier to do than solving any of the other problems.
Gender identity vs climate crisis, economic downfall, impending war: Governments around the world are not short on the challenges they need to solve. Yet, over the past several months, from the US to NZ and everywhere in between, there has been a lot of talk about the need to regulate gender identity, specifically individuals who identify as transgender. It is estimated that globally, about 1% of the population identifies as transgender. Is a legal definition of male and female going to matter if our planet is on fire? Of course not, but the climate, the economy, war, these are tough challenges that require us to work in different ways, to take a longer-term perspective - things our brains are not naturally inclined to do.
Writing the book vs finding the perfect writing tool: Even as someone trained in behavioral science, I have fallen victim to bikeshedding - no one is immune. If you are familiar with me, you know that I have a goal of getting my first book written by the end of this year. I love writing. But, writing a book is a monumental task. Earlier this year, I found myself thinking about this big goal I have set for myself and deciding I needed to find the perfect writing tool. Apparently, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Notion, Evergreen, Craft - the apps I already have and have been using for years were no longer good enough. There had to be something bigger and better out there. While I didn’t track the exact hours, if I had to estimate, I would say that I spent about 40 hours on this task. And it felt good. Reading blogs, watching YouTube videos, taking notes, and comparing apps all made me feel productive, but did nothing to help me make progress on the task that actually mattered: writing the book. This isn’t to say that finding the right tool for the job isn’t important, of course it is. However, in this case, I already had the right tools for the task at hand, and instead of picking one and putting my energy into writing, I found comfort in looking for a unicorn app.
While I specifically mentioned bikeshedding in these examples, it is not the only cognitive bias at play. Cognitive biases don’t operate in isolation or independently. In any given scenario, there are likely multiple biases at work.
How to get unstuck
Bikeshedding is effective because it creates the illusion of progress. The busyness created by bikeshedding activities makes us feel like we are moving forward, even when all we are doing is spinning in circles. So, how do we break through this stuck place?
Learn to spot the signs of bikeshedding. The best defense against bikeshedding is to learn how to spot when it is happening. Here are a few cues to look out for:
Long discussions on minor details (e.g., fonts, colors, specific words)
Lack of focus on the big picture (e.g., teams are not able to recall what the purpose of the work is)
Lack of progress despite the time and effort spent on the work (e.g., lots of meetings and tasks are not getting closed off)
Subject matter experts are silent is a signal that the conversation might be centering on the trivial.
Timebox activities. Bikeshedding doesn’t mean that we ignore or avoid the trivial. It is more about not letting the trivial take away from the bigger work. This is where timeboxing can be effective. When you see a decision needs to be made about the font to use or debating between words, set a timer, and say, let’s take 5 minutes (or whatever interval of time you choose) to make this decision. Then hold the team to it.
Use a meeting parking lot. When a meeting is scheduled to speak about one thing. It is inevitable that other things will be talked about. This is where having a meeting parking lot list can be helpful. When topics unrelated to the purpose of the meeting are raised, add them to the parking lot. This will help the group stay focused on the task at hand.
Our biases are at their best when we are stressed and moving quickly. So, the best defense we have against falling victim to cognitive biases is to slow down and reflect on our actions. What are we spending our time on, and how is it contributing to our goals?
Reflect or Comment
Below are some questions for you to reflect on or comment on below.
Have you ever experienced bikeshedding?
In your example, what were the signs that helped you identify bikeshedding?
How might you work to spot bikeshedding in the future?
Thanks for continuing to read my post and support my work. If something resonates or bugs you, hit reply or leave a comment. I read everything and always welcome feedback.
Here’s to getting Unstuckifyed!
Dani