The Toilet Roll Illusion

The toilet paper roll lies.

When you've used half the paper, the roll still looks full and thick. Like you've barely made a dent.

By the time it looks half-empty, you're nearly done.

That’s because of something you might remember from school about geometry - the smaller the radius, the smaller the circumference. The closer you get to the cardboard tube, the less paper each rotation gives you.

It’s the same reason a 12-inch pizza is more than twice as big as an 8-inch one. A little more radius means a lot more pizza.

We do this with our reserves - energy, patience, goodwill. We glance at what's left and think: plenty still there.

Until suddenly we're at the cardboard.

If you wait until you feel tired to rest, you've gone too far. If you wait until the project looks urgent, you've already lost your buffer.

Rest when it seems early. Pause when it seems unnecessary. Reach out before you need to.

Because what looks like halfway might be 80 percent gone.

The trick isn't to wait until the roll looks empty.

It's to notice the illusion before you run out.