boldness has magic, power, and genius in it
Posted by deepali on January 6, 2008
Have you ever faced a decision of such monumental importance that you invested as much effort and time as possible to analyze your options, only to find yourself paralyzed when it came to actually making the choice? Maybe you feared making a bad choice (ie, not the best one), maybe you feared that you didn’t have all the information (thus not being able to make an informed decision), maybe you feared your analysis was flawed.
We’ve all been there. But research is showing us that the skills we use to make the less important decisions are just as valuable (if not more so) than the skills we use for those life-changing ones. In other words, instead of agonizing over every detail of the decision-making process, we might be better off winging it.
Just Do It
Every decision we make clearly does not require 100% of our attention and analytical power. We make decisions on the fly all the time - what to eat, what to wear, when to cross the street, how to phrase an email, which book we’d like to read whether we should answer the phone. And despite putting little thought into these decisions, we still manage to come out ok in the end.
Why then do we agonize over those we think are “important”? And more importantly, do we really make better decisions after all that time and effort?
The Art of the Satisfice
The answer, surprisingly, is not really. Yes, some amount of data-gathering and analysis needs to be accomplished. But in general, the most effective process for decision-making is not to search for the best option, but the option that is good enough. Coined “satisficing” by economist Herb Simon, this process entails gathering basic information about various alternatives, and choosing the most expedient one that meets established criteria. Not only does this maximize time and efficiency, but, as it turns out, most people are just as happy with the decision they’ve made as they’d be with making the “best” choice.
What does this mean in everyday decision-making? It doesn’t change much when it comes to those choices we make reflexively. But when it comes to those bigger decisions that we delay making because we’re unsure, satisficing is the key to seeing change.
There is something to being bold. Time moves forward with or without us, and those moments spent in thought are moments not spent in action. We lose time in fear of making the wrong choice, when often, that’s the worst choice of all.
