Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter

Je Ne Regrette Rien

I just watched a great TED talk entitled, “The Paradox of Choice” by psychologist Barry Schwartz. In addition to being very funny (really, very funny), Schwartz hits on a topic that I think about a lot, particularly in relation to my clients, but also in relation to the current state of the world.

Schwartz’s main premise is that our abundance of choice is making us miserable. Yes, he acknowledges some choice is better than no choice, but we’ve reached a point of diminishing returns. First, he says, we are paralyzed by our choices; we’re afraid we will make the wrong choice, so we do nothing. He cites a study of retirement plans, where the more funds were available, the fewer employees signed up, literally leaving thousands of dollars on the table because the choice was too overwhelming.

Next, he explains that when we have more choices, we tend to be less satisfied with the choice we make. He says that back when he always got the same pair of ill-fitting jeans, he didn’t really think about them, they were good enough. But once he realized he had so many choices, although he succeeded in buying a better-fitting pair, he was less satisfied, because knowing that there were so many choices, he surmised there was probably a perfect pair of jeans out there that he’d failed to capture.

Schwartz didn’t mention decision fatigue, but it stands to reason that if we are making decisions every minute of every day (Should I look at a text while I’m in a Zoom meeting? Should I order dinner?  Should I do yoga now or later? Should I buy oat milk or almond?) we are exhausting our executive function, which we need. Executive function helps us not only with the big choices (which mutual fund to choose), but also with the daily disciplines (not eating cookies in the afternoon, opening the mail every day) that we need to keep life running smoothly.

We have to make decisions. But let’s channel our inner Edith Piaf: Once you’ve decided on a pair of pants, a type of milk, whether to make dinner or order a pizza, move on. Don’t waste time on regret. The next decision is right around the corner.

My dream for 2021 is that we can all spend less time on regret and more time building a better world, one where everyone has enough and where more people experience satisfaction. Satisfaction may sound like a low bar, but it would actually be radical and transformative, and personally, I’m ready for some radical transformation.