Decision paralysis is the “state of over-analyzing (or over-thinking) a situation so that a decision or action is never taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome.” This essay is really a warning to myself – to be especially cognizant of stagnation and prudent in differentiating between motion and progress.
I think it is very easy to get caught up in the “optimization of the final 20%” of a decision. I do this all the time…I consider all of the nuanced factors, I talk to people, I read lots of things…all in the spirit of maximizing my outcome.
Is this for naught?
I think lots of people…often myself included…get lost in the final 20%, only to never actually make a decision. You will find that this phenomenon occurs in a host of different ways. Whether you are making a decision regarding a career move or a relationship, at the end of the day you have to make a choice.
The simplicity of that framework is enlightening and hard to digest.
No one will make decisions for me. They are my decisions, after all, and I will have to deal with the consequences.
But let’s stop glamorizing “decision making.” Let’s make it more approachable and less stressful.
I rather get decisions 80% right and do them more often then get lost down in the 20%.
You can “explore” your whole life, procrastinating hard decisions. Or…you can have some “yang” and go for it. I need to do more of this latter step, especially recently.
Also published on Medium.