Is your plan B killing plan A?

Unpopular Opinion: Having a Plan B might be working against your Plan A.

Behavioral science has long studied a concept sometimes called the "burning the boats" effect.

When Hernán Cortés landed in Mexico and burned his ships, his soldiers had one option left: fight and win. No retreat meant no mental bandwidth wasted on retreat.

Researchers studying commitment devices have found something similar in modern decision-making: when an escape route exists, the brain quietly keeps one foot out the door, even when we consciously intend to commit fully.

That divided attention is often what erodes performance.

I learned this the hard way in my first job.

When I took it, the offer came with a condition. My internship would convert to a full time role after three months, and that was entirely tied to how I performed in that period.

Nothing was guaranteed upfront. I also had an education loan.

So the math was simple. If I performed well, I'd get the role (and the pay bump) and be able to pay my loan.

If I didn't, the internship would end and you start looking for another job.

There was no in-between option, no "let's see how the next few months go". I had safety net either.

That absence of a cushion changed how I faced every single day. I didn't have the option to coast. I had to make those three months count, because nothing else was an option.

Looking back, I don't think it was raw discipline that got me through that period.

It was the fact that I had nowhere else to go and that period ended up shaping the growth trajectory I had for years after.

Plan B doesn't just give you options. It gives your mind permission to hedge and hedging is the enemy of mastery.

Sometimes the fastest way forward is closing every other door.