Ask HN: What are some common traps that smart people fall into?

What is NIH?

A corrolary of it: procrastination.

It's a double-edged sword, really; on one side, taking a step back and putting off the project currently undertaken can give one a clearer perspective of the subject at hand, providing a fresh take on it, in some way(s) previously not even crossed one's mind.

On the other side, all too often it paves the path to development hell--be it due to the neverending quest for holy grail/unicorn of your project (if you're leaning to being a perfectionist), or eating lotus by indulging on various diversions to entertain your boredom (if you're more of a slacker like me). Or, god forbid, both.

Actually starting with scenario a and then realising people are unable to catch up to them, slowly changing to assuming scenario b.

Smart people can be impatient and can be short on virtues other people have, like persistence. They often expect things to come easily and will give up quickly if they don't.

They can be prone to thinking that if someone disagrees with them, the person is just stupid or doesn't know enough. It can be very challenging to get smart people from very different domains to collaborate effectively because both sides may throw their hands up quickly and assume the other side is just dumb.

Getting smart people with very different world views to really communicate in a meaty and respectful fashion can be challenging. Both sides may be quick to dismiss the other as both wrong and stupid.

This is less software-related, but one trap smart folks can fall into is being afraid to seem not smart. Like let's say an authority figure is trying to do something that doesn't feel right to you, and you say something about it. And then Mr. Authority Figure says, "Come now, be reasonable or be rational." The fear of being perceived as "irrational" may stop you from standing up for yourself or someone else.