This is a Lexicon entry: the mechanism, when it shows up, and the countermeasure. The full correction, with real-world cases and the audit prompt, hasn't been written yet.
When it shows up
The daily commute feels shorter than a drive of equal distance to an unfamiliar destination. Familiar tasks feel like they take less time in memory than novel tasks of equal duration. Routine work weeks feel shorter in retrospect than vacation weeks, even though vacations feel longer in the moment.
Failure mode
Underestimating the time and effort invested in routine activities. Planning errors from assuming familiar tasks will take less time than they do. The paradox of routine: it feels fast in retrospect but slow in the moment.
Countermeasure
Track actual time spent on routine tasks rather than relying on memory. Use time logs for recurring activities. Recognise that familiarity compresses temporal memory without compressing actual duration.
Related traps
Also connected in the map4 more, locked
Also revealed
Entry #136 of 631 in The Lexicon · see the full Lexicon