Current//BS

I was speaking with a friend of mine several weeks back. We were discussing the new 3G iPhone. He was saying that he was going to get one because he could now justify it. He told me a story about how his previous cell phone had recently died. He then began using an old phone that he had but it continually had issues. All in all it was a bad experience for him, his customers and his friends. So he had resolved to get a new phone.

After he finished telling his story I began to tell him about idea that had been floating around in my head for the last several weeks. The idea is this: for unimportant decisions, it is often better to choose something, even it if is the wrong thing, simply to get the decision out of the way.

Now in my friend’s case, I’m not convinced that choosing a phone is an unimportant decision. Since he runs his own business and his phone is a necessary tool for his business communications this decision could  have significant consequences. I think in this case picking the tool that provides the greatest user interaction enhancement is probably the way to go, but that’s another post.

What I want to focus on here is the idea that decisions themselves take work and oftentimes minimizing the amount of effort that goes into a given decision can be the best path forward. I think today with our ready access to information like reviews, comments, advice, etc. it can be all too easy to spend more time than is required on a decision. I know this is something I am often guilty of and I see it in others as well.

A good rule of thumb would likely be that when you notice yourself starting to debate a decision, ask yourself the meta-question: Is this decision really worth the effort?

Interestingly, shortly after this discussion with my friend, I came across this newly published article in Scientific American. The article is titled “Tough Choices: How Making Decisions Tires Your Brain”. In it the author reports on studies indicating that  making decisions, no matter how small, takes significant mental energy. Moreover, it indicates that the energy spent on these small decisions can have a negative impact on our ability to make the right decisions on more important issues.

So there you have it. Or as my father would say, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

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