Cluster Article
A Productivity Tool That Expects the Planning Fallacy
The planning fallacy is the habit of underestimating how long things take—especially your own things. Most daily planners encode that optimism. A useful tool should fight it.
Why your Tuesday was a lie
You planned six deep-work blocks because yesterday’s you was ambitious. Today’s you has sleep debt and a Slack tab. The plan was never a forecast.
Reference class: your last ten mornings
Phone-only energy and follow-through history are a cheap reference class. If you never start before 10, stop pretending 7 a.m. deep work is the default.
Related
Plan less, prompt more
A planning fallacy productivity tool should shrink the list and invest in initiation: one first action, one call, one honest energy score.
7 min read · 2026-08-13
Frequently asked questions
Should I just under-schedule everything?
Schedule fewer high-friction items than your ego wants. Leave slack. Use the call so the remaining items actually start.