The 7 Agency Traps

How seven invisible "agency traps" sabotage your ability to make things happen

Agency isn't some bullshit corporate buzzword.

It's the superpower that separates people who make shit happen from those who just let life happen to them.

But here's the thing — your agency isn't fixed. It ebbs and flows like a tide.

Some days you feel unstoppable. Other days, answering a simple email feels like climbing Everest.

What's actually happening is that you're falling into agency traps — hidden enemies that temporarily kill your ability to take meaningful action.

And they strike without warning.

What’s "agency"? It's your level of determination to make shit happen in the world. To be the driver, not the passenger.

High agency people have:¹

• Clear thinking

• Bias toward action

• Healthy disagreement with the status quo

But here's what nobody tells you: even the most high agency people lose their mojo sometimes.

And it happens in predictable patterns.

Robert Pirsig in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance called these moments "gumption traps.”² They're like invisible potholes that stop you dead in your tracks.

But what's less discussed is how even the most determined, action-oriented people can temporarily lose their agency — often without realizing why.

Here are the 7 deadliest agency traps and how to escape them:

1. The Ego Trap

This feels like confidence. "I've got this. I know what I'm doing. I'm smart."

But the truth? The best people I know are actually pretty humble.

Why? Because their work constantly humbles them.

When your ego inflates, your ability to see reality accurately goes down proportionally.

Skilled craftspeople tend to be quiet and modest; the work itself keeps them honest.

Solution: Assume you're not that good. Sounds like terrible advice, right? But it works. When you mess up (and you will), you won't be devastated. You expected it. You learn and move on with your agency intact.

2. The Boredom Trap

Boredom isn't just being disinterested. It's your mind's alarm system warning that your agency is slipping away.