I make a lot of mistakes. Don't worry, I'm in good company: you do, too.
And, as Amy Edmondson tells us, this is perfectly normal. What's critical is that we learn from these mistakes and seek to reduce their impact on our progress. Often, we're forced to learn the same lessons because they haven't stuck the first or second or tenth time. However, we can transform our error rate by being reflective and actually attempting to learn from the mistake...not simply "encounter" it and move on.
So, with that in mind, here are my nearly 100 ways I've been fooled (by myself) with a concentration on building software day in and day out. Hopefully they help you see the err of your own ways.
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Don't be fooled by those who have made it.
Read »Not everything that looks good is actually good for you.
Patterns where there are none.
If everyone's doing it, it must be right...right?
Throwing good time after bad.
Scratch my back, and I'll feel obligated to scratch yours.
Seeing only what you want to see.
Finding evidence that fits your beliefs.
Trusting the suit over the facts.
Comparing apples to oranges, and making bad choices.
What’s most memorable isn't always most true.
Believing in pain today for gain tomorrow.
The story is great, but the facts are better.
I knew it all along... or did I?
When you think you know more than you do.
Knowing the words, but not the song.
You’re not as in charge as you think you are.
What gets rewarded gets repeated.
Things tend to even out over time.
Judging decisions by their results.
More options, more problems.
It's hard to say no to someone you like.
Overvaluing what you own.
Mistaking luck for patterns.
When the group steers off course, and no one stops it.
Ignoring the odds when they matter most.
Wanting it because there’s less of it.
Skipping the stats and going with the gut.
Believing the dice have a memory.
First impressions stick, even when they’re wrong.
Predicting the future based on the past.
Hating to lose more than loving to win.
Doing less because others will pick up the slack.
Small changes that lead to big leaps.
Winning at a price you’ll regret.
Blaming people, not circumstances.
Mistaking correlation for cause.
Letting one good trait overshadow everything else.
Forgetting the roads not taken.
Confidence doesn't equal accuracy.
Adding details makes it seem more likely.
How you say it changes what people think.
Feeling the need to do something, even if it's useless.
Ignoring the harm caused by doing nothing.
Claiming the credit, dodging the blame.
Chasing happiness that never lasts.
When the data picks itself.
Guilt by association, or credit where it’s not due.
Success at the start doesn't guarantee more.
When your beliefs and actions don’t match.
Choosing smaller, sooner rewards over bigger, later ones.
Adding weak reasons to make it sound better.
Too many choices drain your energy to decide.
Believing something is 'infected' by its origin.
What’s true on average isn’t always true for you.
Rewards that kill the joy of doing it for itself.
Overcomplicating simple things.
Shifting groups to make both seem better.
More information isn’t always better information.
Convincing yourself it was worth it.
Drawing big conclusions from tiny samples.
Seeing what you expect to see.
When simplicity skips important details.
Believing vague statements are uniquely about you.
Doing too much because you care too much.
Letting your feelings decide for you.
Thinking you understand yourself perfectly.
Keeping options open when you shouldn’t.
Chasing the new for its own sake.
Believing information long after forgetting the source.
Missing better options by focusing on the wrong ones.
Feeling worse by comparison.
What’s first and last sticks best.
Rejecting ideas because they’re from ‘outside.’
Rare events that change everything.
Skills don’t always transfer across contexts.
Assuming everyone agrees with you.
Rewriting the past to fit the present.
Favoring ‘us’ over ‘them.’
Avoiding choices with unknown risks.
Choosing the easiest option: doing nothing.
Playing it safe to avoid second-guessing yourself.
Overweighting the obvious.
Taking risks with what feels like a freebie.
Tomorrow always feels like a better time to start.
Wanting it just because they have it.
Giving things human traits they don’t have.
Missing what’s right in front of you.
Overselling to get what you want.
Paralysis by analysis.
Underestimating the time things will take.
Seeing the world only through your work lens.
Unfinished tasks stick in your mind.
Confusing practice with mastery.
Focusing on what’s there, ignoring what’s missing.
Selecting only what supports your point.
Believing one thing explains it all.
Mixing intentions with actual results.
Mistaking noise for knowledge.