BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

In the Balance

Discussion & Talk

Factual: Money

The biggest financial stories and why they matter to us all.

In the Balance: Planning to Fail

planning.jpg

08/09/2018 GMT

Planning to Fail

BBC World Service - In the Balance, Planning to Fail

Why we find it so hard to think long-term, and the fixes that can help us get better.

Why are most of us so bad at planning for the future? Whether saving for our retirement, managing workloads and deadlines, or budgeting for a major infrastructure project, we humans often fail miserably. 

Is it because we're incompetent, even irresponsible? Or is there something psychological getting in the way?

We explore some of the most common planning pitfalls, from Olympic Games that go way over budget to short-term corporate incentives, and ask how individuals and businesses can avoid them.

Contributors: Peter Ayton, professor of psychology at City, University of London; Bent Flyvbjerg, Chair of Major Programme Management at the University of Oxford; and Sarah Williamson, CEO of FCLT Global.

(Picture: A woman looking out over the Grand Canyon. Credit: Getty Images)

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

Accessibility links

Programme Index

In the Balance

Planning to Fail

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

About BBC World Service