The Sunken Cost Bias - Why I Struggle to Clean out my Closet

I feel like this is a concept that was a core part of my ORGL program. We know people want different things, are driven by different desires, react differently to situations, and believe different things about the basic structure of the world. When we become embedded or "stuck" in our particular way of seeing the world and lose the ability to see other sides/visions/interpretations, we become less effective as leaders…and as humans. One of my areas of stuckness has to do with what graduate school has taught me is called the sunken cost bias - the idea that we fear the “waste” of time, money and effort so much that our fear causes us to make decisions that are not in our best interest or the best interest of our team.

Rather than take this in a political direction or organizational direction, I want to share an example of this I am currently struggling with in my daily life - cleaning out my closet. I like clothes - not in a fashionista, designer sort-of-way, but in a buying clothes fills a deep need in me that has a little to do with not always being able to, and a lot to do with body image issues sort-of-way. In addition to "normal" shopping I have been a subscriber to Stitch Fix and Wantable, and I have jumped on the Universal Standard mystery box bandwagon...as well as ordering from shops that pop up on my social media feed and promise to send plus-sized clothing that actually fits and looks good. About 1-2x/year I halfheartedly go through my ever growing closet and pull a grocery bag or two of items out to donate or give away, but the influx consistently outpaces the output of this system.

Over the last five months, I have made a commitment to getting healthier and have lost over 30 pounds, dropping between 1-3 sizes depending on the item (because women's clothing sizing is ridiculous, but that's another blog). This has actually necessitated a true full review of my closet, as well as purchasing for what I would consider a better or at least more purposeful reason. And suddenly the anxiety has become over-whelming. As I go through my clothing, this voice in my head says things ranging from, "but that was expensive," and "but you bought that at a concert/play/event that you will never go to again," to "your husband likes this on you," and "you got a compliment when you wore this." And added to that, "what if you gain the weight back." Suddenly the t-shirt reading Having a Thing for Pirates I bought at Disney because I just have to buy a souvenir and that was the one semi-cute one in my size at the time takes on the full value of our park tickets even though I wore it once - at the park that same trip.

In life, I tend to worry of the “costs” of things – I worry about whether going back to school at this point in my life makes sense, I worry about walking away from people, places, and things in which I perceive a substantial investment has been made, regardless of whether they are serving an actual need in my life. My hope is that now that I recognize this bias in myself, I will better be able to call myself out on it and really think about the best decision and not just the one that “costs” the least.

In terms of my closet clean-out...it's still in progress. I have found two methods that help me. Having my husband hang out with me as a second set of eyes (and to help recognize and assuage my anxiety spikes) is a huge help when I am feeling especially overwhelmed. I also bought a large plastic tote for items that are too big for me now, but that I really like - just in case I need them again. My plan is to wait a year, and if I have not reached for them, to donate the whole tote. Interestingly, I thought I would fill it to the brim, but just knowing it's there has actually made it easier to let some items go.

Are there items or areas in your life that you assign an over-generous value to? What do you do to help yourself recognize the things that are truly serving you and the ones that it's time to release?