MENTAL MODEL · M2094

Yak Shaving

BusinessHigh supportManagement

Included

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

You originally wanted to do A (e.g., wax your car), but found you needed tool B, then fixing B required repairing C, and repairing C required buying D... Eventually, you find yourself in Tibet shaving a yak, when you originally just wanted to wax your car. It refers to the phenomenon of getting trapped in an endless chain of subtask dependencies to solve a problem, ultimately losing sight of the original goal. -

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

An alarm for goal loss. - When you find yourself doing something completely unrelated to your core goal, stop and ask yourself: "Am I shaving a yak?" If so, immediately cut the dependency chain, look for a workaround to bypass the obstacle, or return to your original intention, and don't fix tools just for the sake of fixing tools.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

There are hidden dependency chains between tasks; each time you solve a prerequisite, new prerequisites are exposed, and your attention is gradually drawn away, eventually drifting far from the original goal without realizing it—this is a slow goal drift.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

Clearly define and write down the original goal
Before entering each subtask, ask yourself "How far is this from the goal?"
Once you deviate significantly, look for a workaround
Return to your original intention, and don't fix tools just for the sake of fixing tools.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

Learning progress0%

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Source support: Explicit

link
en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yak_shavingZH · Explicit
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