avoid tunnel vision

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "avoid tunnel vision" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when discussing the importance of maintaining a broad perspective or considering multiple viewpoints. For example, "In decision-making, it's crucial to avoid tunnel vision to ensure all options are considered." Alternative expressions include "broaden your perspective" and "keep an open mind."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Academia

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

This helps teams avoid tunnel vision and groupthink, and gets them thinking more creatively.

Harvard Business Review

Another important consideration is the ability to weigh the relative significance of different inputs accurately, to avoid tunnel vision, and to reduce cognitive bias.

Harvard Business Review

Look around try to avoid tunnel vision (focus on one player only) because you may be being flanked.

WikiHow

Avoid tunnel vision.

Harvard Business Review

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

But it's important to avoid getting tunnel vision and getting too comfortable.

Cornell University

You aren't bound to follow their advice no matter what they say, but if you can at least weigh and consider their words before making key decisions, you can be assured that you will avoid the tunnel vision and insularity that risk compounding bad decisions into increasingly worse mistakes.

Forbes

He was inspired by the Annales school of French historians who sought to write "histoire totale", avoiding the usual tunnel vision created by separating economic, political, social and other forms of history.

The Guardian - Opinion

If you let it, the self-employed process can give you tunnel vision; to avoid this, stay connected.

Forbes

But even the Packers with All-Pro tunnel vision could not avoid reminders of the Favre saga everywhere they looked.

The New York Times

Cultivate tunnel vision.

Independent

I get tunnel vision.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

It is most effective when used as a recommendation or a goal in professional settings to prevent strategic errors.

Common error

Do not use 'tunnel vision' as a synonym for 'concentration'. While concentration is a positive trait, 'tunnel vision' always carries a negative connotation of missing important external information.

Linguistic Context

This is a verb phrase commonly used in the imperative mood or as part of an infinitive phrase. Ludwig AI indicates it is a standard idiom where 'avoid' acts as the transitive verb and 'tunnel vision' serves as the direct object.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

45%

Formal & Business

35%

Academia

15%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Science

1%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "avoid tunnel vision" is a reliable and high-impact expression used to advocate for broad-mindedness and strategic awareness. Based on the analysis from Ludwig, the phrase is grammatically perfect and widely accepted across top-tier journalistic and academic institutions. While the literal medical meaning of 'tunnel vision' exists, its figurative use in business and general news is much more prevalent. It serves as a strong call to action for lateral thinking, helping writers emphasize the importance of context and peripheral awareness in decision-making processes.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

broaden your perspective

More proactive and focuses on the positive expansion of view

keep an open mind

Emphasizes the psychological attitude rather than just the visual metaphor

maintain a big-picture view

Focuses on strategic scale rather than just the avoidance of narrowness

consider the wider context

Stresses the importance of surrounding circumstances

look at the larger picture

A direct antonym to the concept of a narrow 'tunnel' view

see the whole picture

Implies completeness and lack of missing information

avoid narrow-mindedness

More judgmental in tone regarding personality traits

embrace a holistic view

More academic and formal, suggesting an integrated approach

escape the echo chamber

Used specifically for social or informational bias in groups

expand your horizons

More metaphorical and often refers to personal growth or travel

FAQs

How to use avoid tunnel vision in a sentence?

You can use it in professional advice, such as: "To make the best decision, we must avoid tunnel vision and consider the long-term impact on our customers."

What can I say instead of avoid tunnel vision?

Depending on your tone, you can say "<a href="/s/broaden+your+perspective" target="_blank" rel="alternative">broaden your perspective", "<a href="/s/keep+an+open+mind" target="_blank" rel="alternative">keep an open mind" or "<a href="/s/consider+the+wider+context" target="_blank" rel="alternative">consider the wider context".

Is the phrase avoid tunnel vision formal or informal?

It is a neutral to professional phrase. It is frequently seen in high-quality publications like the New York Times and Harvard Business Review, making it suitable for both casual and formal business writing.

What is the difference between avoid tunnel vision and "seeing the big picture"?

The phrase "<a href="/s/see+the+big+picture" target="_blank" rel="alternative">see the big picture" is the positive result of having successfully managed to avoid tunnel vision, which describes the act of preventing a narrow focus.