1. The findings suggest that the “smaller tasks trap” can lead to the completion of local sub-goals, and produce a sense of tangible progress, but impede achieving the larger more beneficial goal. 
2. When faced with large projects or too many tasks, it can be easy to lose sight of the bigger goal and focus on sub-goals, which can hurt efficiency. 
3. While starting off with a smaller task isn't bad in itself, it is important to organize tasks focusing on the larger goal to prevent falling into the smaller tasks trap.


Point Loma Nazarene University

1. Discussion of Results
2. Limitations
3. Implications

Discussion (The Psychology of Task Management: The Smaller Tasks Trap)

Rusou, Z., Amar, M., & Ayal, S. (2020). The Psychology of task management: The smaller tasks trap. Judgement and Decision Making, 15(4), 586–599. 

The Psychology of Task Management: The Smaller Tasks Trap

The findings suggest that the “smaller tasks trap” can lead to the completion of local sub-goals, and produce a sense of tangible progress, but impede achieving the larger more beneficial goal.

In addition, participants who chose to start with a smaller task tended to persevere with the smaller tasks throughout the experiment, and ended up with a much higher percentage of smaller tasks, compared to the participants who started with a larger task. In this case, starting with a smaller task does not appear to be the outcome of a planned strategic move aimed at increasing the total utility in the long run (e.g., by warming up and enhancing the ability to address the larger and more beneficial tasks). This relates back to previous research discussing flawed evaluations of task management, which could possibly be due to avoidance. 

Discussion of Results (The Psychology of Task Management: The Smaller Tasks Trap)

1. A question for further investigation is what motivated the participants to attend to the larger tasks first and how that differed from those who chose to start with smaller tasks. 
2. It is important to note that although the game simulated a real-life environment of multiple tasks, it constitutes a simplified version of reality. 
3. Several complexities present outside the lab were not reflected in the game (e.g., a more diverse set of tasks). In addition, the cost/benefit of the tasks was explicitly displayed which isn't the case in real life. 

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