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The Incentives Lab
HBT-COG-0710 · Dimension COG · Cognition

Zero-Based Calendaring

Rebuild your calendar from scratch every quarter rather than inheriting it from the last one.

Decision·Mental Model·Grade B·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Rebuild your calendar from scratch every quarter rather than inheriting it from the last one.

Plain-English Definition

Rebuild your calendar from scratch every quarter rather than inheriting it from the last one.

Feynman Explanation

Your default calendar is last year's priorities cosplaying as this year's.

Core Principle

Rebuild your calendar from scratch every quarter rather than inheriting it from the last one.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

Rebuild your calendar from scratch every quarter rather than inheriting it from the last one.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Executive focus and strategic alignment of hours to bets.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

Your default calendar is last year's priorities cosplaying as this year's.

Examples

Everyday
  • Zero-based budgeting applied to time.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Executive focus and strategic alignment of hours to bets.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Once a quarter: blank slate, then re-add only what earns its slot.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
Executive focus and strategic alignment of hours to bets.
Amplifying Incentives
Executive focus and strategic alignment of hours to bets.
Org Failure Modes
Executive focus and strategic alignment of hours to bets.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Once a quarter: blank slate, then re-add only what earns its slot.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Once a quarter: blank slate, then re-add only what earns its slot.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Once a quarter: blank slate, then re-add only what earns its slot.
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-COG-0710 · COG
Zero-Based Calendaring
ZCRu10/10/10 RuleAbAbsent-MindednessABAlternative BlindnessAPAlternative PathsAPAnalysis ParalysisAnAnchoringADAsian Disease ProblemABAttentional BiasABAutomation BiasBEBezold Effect

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.