“That’s How We’ve Always Done It” Syndrome
Diagnose the Syndrome. Use the Antidote.
You’re driving home after a long day, half-thinking about dinner plans, when you suddenly realize… you took the usual exit. Not the one you meant to take. Not the one that leads to that new store you wanted to try. Just—your usual route.
Why? Because your brain didn’t make a decision. It followed a well-worn path. And it did it fast.
This kind of mental shortcut happens everywhere. Think of it as the brain’s version of muscle memory: a shortcut that works most of the time—but not always. This shortcut has a name: the Status Quo Trap. It’s a decision-making bias that quietly reinforces routines, even when better options are right in front of us.
Why Familiar Routines Feel So Safe (Even When They’re Not)
Everyone has worked somewhere that suffered from it.
The same Monday morning meetings, week after week, even when no one remembers why they were scheduled in the first place.
The recurring Friday report that still gets generated and emailed—long after anyone’s actually opened it.
The legacy product that lingers in the portfolio—not because it’s profitable, but because it’s always been there.
When we see these things, we usually chalk them up to laziness, fear of change, or just being “stuck in our ways.”
And because of that, it’s easy to believe the problem lies with other people—people who “don’t get it,” who are holding back progress.
But the truth is far more interesting… and far more universal.
The Surprising Reason We Prefer the Status Quo
The real reason we prefer the status quo isn’t fear. It isn’t laziness. And it isn’t a lack of willpower.
It’s efficiency.
Our brains are designed to make decisions quickly—not perfectly. They have to be. If we applied slow, logical reasoning to every choice we made each day, we’d never make it out the door.
So our brains rely on patterns. On loops. On whatever worked last time.
This makes us highly functional in everyday situations—like driving familiar routes, answering routine emails, or handling daily tasks.
But it also opens the door to a dangerous trap.
The Status Quo Trap, Explained
The Status Quo Trap is a cognitive bias—what I call a decision trap—that causes us to default to what we’ve done before, even when circumstances change.
It’s not a conscious decision. It’s a non-decision—one the brain makes automatically because it’s faster.
Here are a few ways this shows up at work:
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🧠 The Recurring Report You Still Send A report that once served a purpose is still generated each week—even though no one reads it—because no one paused to ask, “Do we still need this?”
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🧠 The Calendar Invite That Never Changes A standing meeting continues, unquestioned, even as priorities evolve—because rescheduling or rethinking it takes more effort than letting it repeat.
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🧠 The Form You Keep Filling Out An outdated process lives on, not because it’s required, but because it’s part of the mental checklist you’ve followed for years.
None of these happen because someone fears change or is lazy. They happen because sticking with what’s already in place is mentally frictionless.
And unless we catch ourselves, we’ll keep repeating these loops—over and over.
Why This Matters for Leaders
If you’re a manager, HR leader, or executive, this bias isn’t just a curiosity—it’s a performance risk.
Because in leadership, strategic decisions require deliberate thinking. If your brain is defaulting to what worked in the past—without challenging whether it still works today—you may be reinforcing outdated assumptions, inefficient processes, or underperforming strategies.
That’s why the Status Quo Trap is one of the first things we tackle in the Decision Trap training course. Recognizing this pattern isn’t about blame—it’s about diagnosis. And the first step in the antidote? Seeing the trap clearly for what it is.
So What Can You Do About It?
It starts with awareness. And one of the best ways to build that awareness is to watch this short video, where I break down the Status Quo Trap in action—and explain how to avoid falling for it.
👉 Watch the video below: 📺
In the video, you’ll learn:
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Why people in different states made different legal decisions—without realizing it
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How the Status Quo Trap fools even experienced leaders
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What Step 2 of the Decision-Making Framework can do to break you out of the pattern
Want to Go Deeper?
If this resonates with you—or if you’re responsible for helping others improve their decision-making—you have two options:
🌟 Watch the full Decision Trap course playlist on YouTube It’s free, practical, and designed for real-world leadership challenges. 👉 View the playlist
🧠 Explore the full Decision Trap course for your team The course goes beyond awareness. It helps leaders develop the habits and skills to make faster, more confident decisions—without falling into traps like this one. 👉 Visit the course page
Bottom Line
You’re not broken. You’re not stuck. And you’re not alone.
You’re just human—with a brain that’s really good at conserving effort.
But if you’re ready to challenge those default settings—and lead with greater clarity—the first step is recognizing the traps that keep you stuck.
Recognize the syndrome. Apply the antidote. And start leading with intention.
Chris Seifert is the author of Enabling Empowerment: A Leadership Playbook for Ending Micromanagement and Empowering Decision-Makers. With over two decades of experience in transforming organizations through strategic leadership and decision-making frameworks, Chris has helped teams cut through bottlenecks, optimize capital project budgets, and build cultures of accountability. He is passionate about teaching leaders how to empower their teams to make smarter, faster decisions without sacrificing business value.