What category does Hofstadter's Law belong to?

Hofstadter's Law belongs to the "Principles" category in personal knowledge management and productivity.

What are the key topics related to Hofstadter's Law?

Key topics related to Hofstadter's Law include: concepts, planning, principles, productivity.

What are alternative names for Hofstadter's Law?

Hofstadter's Law is also known as: Time underestimation.

Hofstadter's Law

Things always take longer than expected, even accounting for the law itself.

Also known as: Time underestimation

Category: Principles

Tags: concepts, planning, principles, productivity

Explanation

Hofstadter's Law states: 'It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.' This self-referential adage captures the persistent tendency to underestimate task duration despite knowing about underestimation. Related to the planning fallacy, it's a humbling reminder to add generous buffers to estimates. For PKM projects like building a system, expect it to take longer than planned and design for incremental progress rather than complete transformation.

Related Concepts

Continuous Improvement
Goal Setting
Planning Fallacy

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