Table of Contents
What does the term bikeshedding mean?
Parkinson’s law of triviality
Bikeshedding, also known as Parkinson’s law of triviality, describes our tendency to devote a disproportionate amount of our time to menial and trivial matters while leaving important matters unattended.
Where does the term bikeshedding come from?
The act of wasting time on trivial details while important matters are inadequately attended is sometimes known as bikeshedding. That term originates from Parkinson’s observation of a committee organized to approve plans for a nuclear power plant.
Why do we focus on trivial things?
Bikeshedding is a metaphor to illustrate the strange tendency we have to spend excessive time on trivial matters, often glossing over important ones. Then, when an important decision needs to be made, we hardly have any time to devote to it. …
What does it mean to talk about bikeshedding?
# Bikeshedding means talking/arguing about something easy/trivial rather than the bigger/harder issue at hand. At least, that’s how I understand it. Perhaps arguing about a the spelling of a property rather than its implications.
What is bikeshedding and what is the decision lab?
Bikeshedding, also known as Parkinson’s law of triviality, describes our tendency to devote a disproportionate amount of our time to menial and trivial matters while leaving important matters unattended. The Decision Lab is a think tank focused on creating positive impact in the public and private sectors by applying behavioral science.
Bikeshedding or Parkinson’s Law of Triviality is the act of spending disproportionate amounts of time discussing trivial parts of a problem instead of focusing on more important topics. It occurs because people are more comfortable talking about things that they understand well rather than complicated multilayer problems
Why is bikeshedding considered to be unproductive?
Bikeshedding is considered unproductive because it focuses on trivial matters of little consequence. Not every debate that can’t be resolved instantly needs to be interrupted. This behavior is a seductive form of procrastination as well.