Drowning in Choices
I could feel myself starting to freak out. My husband and I stood in the bottle aisle of a store dedicated to all things baby related while one of my hands rested nervously on the growing bump that used to be my core. Our gazes tracked separately up and down the shelves to take it all in. Different brand names. Different bottle tops that let the milk out at different speeds. Different materials: glass, plastic, something that looked like plastic but cost four times as much. There were probably over fifty choices in that aisle alone and this was just bottles!
“I don’t think I can do this,” I murmured out loud.
“What?” My husband asked. My voice went up a hormonal octave.
“How can I possibly be a good mother if I can’t even figure out how to pick the right bottle!?”
There’s a name for what I experienced in the store that day. It’s called “analysis paralysis,” and basically it means that when we have too many choices, we can get overwhelmed trying to pick out which one is the best. Researchers have found that less choice actually tends to lead to greater satisfaction!
We each have only so much energy to use in a given day and decision fatigue is a real thing. Think of the parent who finally gives in to their child’s request after being asked fourteen times. That’s decision fatigue. The adult finally reached the breaking point where they just couldn’t do the emotional and mental work of making the decision to say no one more time. This is why some adults choose to wear a version of the same thing every day (like Steve Jobs in his jeans and black turtleneck). They know they only have so much brain power to devote to decisions, and they’d rather not spend it on choosing a different outfit first thing every morning.
The easiest way to bring a sense of peace back to your own decision making is to eliminate your own choices, to practice simplicity. Here are a few ways you can do that.
Less clothing. If wearing a daily “uniform” stifles your creativity then pick a number and limit your wardrobe to that many items. If you want to buy something new, something old has to go!
Less activities. Pick a few that are important to you and prioritize those.
Less food choice. Giving yourself only two or three options for breakfast makes it a snap. Or each night a type of food; for example, sandwich night, soup night, or taco night.
Less big stores. If you have to go shopping, pick a small store instead of a giant one. Try Aldi for groceries instead of Walmart or a thrift store for clothes instead of the mall.
Less stuff. We tend to use what we have right in front of us. What could you give away today that would free up space in your room and your mind?
Challenges/Points:
Analysis paralysis is what can happen when we get overwhelmed by too many choices.
Researchers have found that in general our level of satisfaction tends to go up when we have less to choose from, not more.
Practice simplicity in your own life by self limiting the number of choices you have.
Questions:
Have you experienced analysis paralysis? What was it about?
What part of your life feels the most overwhelming to you?
Which of the suggested areas for simplifying could you try out this week?
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