Ever notice how your most important work rarely gets done? I did. Recently, I spent tens of hours migrating some features from Javascript to Typescript, while the truly important work - the features that could actually move the needle - sat untouched in my list.
The problem isn't procrastination. It's not poor time management. And it's definitely not laziness. The problem is that we're spectacularly bad at prioritizing our own tasks. And it becomes painfully obvious when you look at how differently we handle tasks with external accountability versus self-directed work.
Think about it. When you have a hard deadline for your assignment, or your boss needs something by EOD, suddenly prioritization becomes crystal clear. The deadline is non-negotiable, the consequences are real, and boom - it gets done. But remove that external pressure? We're like a ship without a compass. Those personal projects, long-term career goals - tasks where we set our own priorities - they're the ones that consistently get pushed aside.
Our brains are great at many things, but turns out objective prioritization is not one of them. We consistently pick tasks that: