Cognitive Goal Drift is a situation where, during the execution of a task, a developer unconsciously shifts focus to a different goal. This new goal is often more interesting, technically challenging, or feels like a “natural next step”. As a result, the original task remains unfinished or is significantly delayed.
It’s like starting to brush your teeth and ending up reorganizing storage boxes an hour later.
How It Manifests
- Instead of implementing a specific feature, the entire module architecture is rewritten.
- Instead of configuring CI/CD, a custom GitHub Actions runner is being built.
- Instead of setting up logging, a custom wrapper around OpenTelemetry is introduced.
Example
Original task: configure OAuth authentication in a web application.
What actually happens:
The developer starts working on OAuth, but runs into a clunky API in the chosen library. They decide to write a wrapper. Then they notice duplicated logic in the middleware and begin refactoring. Instead of focusing on OAuth integration, they get caught up in improving the entire authentication layer — which was never part of the original task. Two days later, OAuth is still not working, but the commit includes changes to 27 files.
Why It’s Dangerous
- Deadlines slip.
- It’s demotivating — a lot of work is done, but nothing feels finished.
- It causes misalignment — the team expected one thing, but got something else.
- It complicates maintenance — side changes can unintentionally affect other parts of the codebase.
How to Recognize It
- The task has grown far beyond its original scope.
- You’re working on things not mentioned in the original description.
- You struggle to answer: “What exactly was I planning to finish today?”
How to Avoid It
- Define the task’s goal in a single sentence. Example: “Add a Google login button.”
- Write down ideas and improvements in a separate backlog. Prioritize them later.
- Regularly check: Am I still solving the original problem?
- Timebox side investigations. For example: “No more than 30 minutes to evaluate libraries.”
- Discuss with teammates. It helps you stay grounded and focused.
Final Thoughts
Cognitive goal drift is not a sign of incompetence. On the contrary, it’s common among curious and proactive developers. But it’s important to recognize when it happens and manage it — so your curiosity doesn’t prevent you from delivering results.