Cognitive Biases
  • Memory
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Social

Law of Triviality (aka “Bike-Shedding”)

We give disproportionate weight to trivial issues, often while avoiding more complex ones.

ExampleRather than figuring out how to help the homeless, a local city government spends a lot of time discussing a bike path and bike sheds.
What to doGive each item time in proportion to what is at stake, and put the hardest one first on the agenda.