I bought a self-help book last year. Popular one with an intense title. Thought it would change my life. (It didn’t.)
I read half of it and stopped. I didn’t hate it. Just never picked it up again. It’s still on the shelf.
Sometimes I feel guilty.
I paid for this. Maybe I’ll find it interesting later. I’ve already finished half, so maybe I’ll get back to it later and finish it aswell.
I never do. I just feel bad about not reading it.
And I learnt there’s a term for this: the sunk cost fallacy.
Whiteboard art. Please be kind :)
Basically, when we’ve already spent time, money, or effort on something, we find it harder to walk away, even when we don’t want to continue.
It’s not just about the book
Think about how many people in India finish degrees they don’t even like anymore.
They finish them anyway because they’ve already invested years into them and, more importantly, their parents’ money.
We see people staying in broken relationships because they’ve already invested years into them. And then there are UPSC aspirants who give attempt after attempt, hoping they’ll crack it the next time, sometimes without a Plan B.
I’m not saying people should quit the moment things get difficult. Some things are worth sticking with.
But there’s a difference between struggling because you’re learning and struggling because you’re afraid to walk away.
Sometimes, we can’t tell which one it is. And that’s okay!
So what can we do differently?
I’ve started asking myself two questions:
Would I choose this again today if I had no history with it?
Am I staying because of the future or because of the past?
One is a cost I still have to pay. The other is already gone.
We don’t want to keep increasing our future costs just because we’ve already spent so much in the past. :)
Coming back…
I’m slowly learning it’s okay to leave the book on the shelf. Same way I’d walk away from a college side project that no longer makes sense. :)
Not because I failed. Because continuing would cost me something more valuable: my time.
As an engineer, not every line of code is meant to be shipped just because you can.
Some things are better left unfinished.
Until next time!
Rohith