Get out of it quickly!

You said yes a little too quickly to those vague weekend plans with friends, and now you already wish you hadn’t. But you don’t want to let them down, and the tickets have already been bought. So you double-down on your commitment and kick yourself even more for saying yes…

Does this pattern seem familiar to you? It’s called escalation of commitment. You answer in the affirmative to an initial commitment, and then feel you can’t say no to any follow-ups even if you regret your decision. How can you break out of this escalation?

Swallow the sunk costs: is the price of the tickets a lost cause? There’s nothing to say you have to use them if you think you’re not going to get any fun out of them! If you force yourself to use them so that you don’t “lose the money”, then you’re punishing yourself all over again. Instead of going on this weekend that has got off to such a bad start, replace it with something you’ll really enjoy.

Avoid being insincere: it’s difficult to own up to a bad decision – which is why you try to convince yourself that you’ll end up having a good couple of days. It’s better to admit you got it wrong as soon as possible. And that’s just tough for the ego.

Watch out for warning signs: you have a poor first impression, and you don’t “feel” the plans are right. Listen to your intuition, and just say no or put off replying.

This escalation can also be seen in companies where the plans aren’t viable but no one has the courage to jettison them!

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