Motivation And Decisions on Ghafoor's Personal Blog

Commitment - Sunk Costs and Self-Binding

hello@ghafoorsblog.com (AG Sayyed) — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Past investment can trap us in choices that no longer make sense, while a clear head today cannot be trusted to survive tomorrow's temptation. Two ideas, the sunk cost fallacy and the Ulysses contract, point to better decisions.

Staying Because of What You Already Spent

Published 2026-09-21 · Watch the short

The short says people often stay in a relationship, a job or an old version of themselves not because it is right but because they have already spent so much time, energy and emotion. Walking away would make all of that feel wasted. This is called the sunk cost fallacy, yet from the inside it feels like loyalty, patience or not giving up too soon.

Rewards - Effort and Motivation

hello@ghafoorsblog.com (AG Sayyed) — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Why we do something often matters more than what we do. Targets can replace the goals they measure, payment can replace enjoyment, effort can create love, comfort can stop growth, and asking for help can win a friend.

When the Number Replaces the Thing It Measures

Published 2026-08-31 · Watch the short

The short opens with three examples. A grade can ruin learning, views can ruin creativity and money can ruin value, because once people are rewarded for a number they begin to serve the number instead of what it was meant to measure. This pattern is called Goodhart’s law, and the simple version is that when a measure becomes a target, it stops being a good measure.