Delmore effect
The tendency to set clear, detailed goals for less important tasks while leaving our most important goals vague. Big goals are hard and uncomfortable to define, so we busy ourselves with the easy ones.
The idea comes from a single doctoral dissertation and has had little published research since, so treat it as an observation rather than an established finding.
In everyday life
Someone has a precise weekly plan for reorganizing their closet but only a fuzzy idea of 'someday changing careers.'
Your to-do list has step-by-step instructions for planning a friend's birthday dinner, but your top life priority, 'get healthier,' has no plan, date or first step.
Why your mind does this
Simple, clear options are faster to understand and easier to act on, and when time is short that speed matters. Known odds and complete information feel safer because they let us predict what will happen. Preferring the clear option often saves effort that would be wasted on puzzles we can't solve.
Its family, in 30 seconds: Simple & complete
How to spot it
Ask whether your most important goal is written down as specifically as your smallest ones.
How to counter it
Break your biggest goal into one concrete next step with a date on it.