Fighting Recency Bias
Strategies to counteract the tendency to overweight recent information in decisions.
Also known as: Cooling-off period, Wait before deciding
Category: Cognitive Biases
Tags: cognitive-biases, cognition, decision-making, psychology, self-discipline
Explanation
Fighting Recency Bias involves deliberate strategies to counteract our natural tendency to give disproportionate weight to recent events or information. A key technique is to avoid starting something immediately just because you're excited about it. Instead, wait for a period (such as a month) to see if you're still excited - this cooling-off period helps distinguish genuine long-term interest from momentary enthusiasm driven by recency. This practice is particularly valuable in PKM for evaluating new tools, methods, or ideas. By building in intentional delays before committing to new directions, we can make more balanced decisions that account for historical patterns and long-term value rather than being swayed by the latest trends.
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