Which would you rank as your top box to spend time in?
I think my students would mostly like to spend time in Box C: low effort, good outcome.
I think that most of them would then say their second favorite box to spend time in is Box B: high effort, good outcome. I think they’d be lying.
I have met many, many students who would rather spend time in Box D than in Box B.
Why? Because putting in high effort risks you putting in the one box no one wants to ever been in: Box A. High effort, bad outcome. None of us can completely avoid that box, but it’s a pretty miserable place to be. Miserable enough that many people, especially students, would rather give low effort than risk landing in Box A.
But the only chance to reliably succeed in our goals is in Box B. We must be willing to risk Box A if we want to reach our dreams.