The Blog Of

“A hungry donkey approaches a barn one day looking for hay and discovers two haystacks of identical size at the two opposite sides of the barn. The donkey stands in the middle of the barn between the two haystacks, not knowing which to select. Hours go by, but he still can’t make up his mind. Unable to decide, the donkey eventually dies of starvation.”

One of Dan Ariely’s latest books, Predictably Irrational, has numerous thought provoking studies and conclusions on human behavior. The one area of discussion that I found most interesting was the idea that as individuals, we like to “keep doors open” (options/choices) in many aspects of our daily lives.

We often times fail to come to decisive conclusions about what college we want to enroll in, which latest smart phone we should in invest it or what career path to take? This indecisiveness arises when we have both multiple or two options available to us.

We get stuck in what I call “analysis paralysis”; a state of mind in which where your brain races furiously trying to make a decision often times in regards to a small or trivial detail. (As your friend/parents are itching to leave the store, you stand there thinking, “Should I go with the black on black golf shoes or should I go with the equally priced black on grey?”)

As I read more and more about psychology and how the human brain operates I have become much more aware of my own decision making, both irrational and rational. Since reading Justin Lehr’s “How We Decide” and this Dan Ariely book, I have tried to become more decisive in the decisions or mistakes I make. For example:

When approaching a golf hole that has multiple strategies to playing it, I decide within a few seconds of when I step on the tee box which shot and therefore strategy I will utilize.

When driving to an unfamiliar location using GPS, if I miss a turn or signal, I simply follow the GPS’ re-routing so that I’m not trying furiously to get back to where I missed the directions. I might loose a few minutes of time, but it saves me from anxiously backtracking and worrying.

I’ve also tried to consider “the consequences of not deciding.” When we take extended durations of time to make decisions in our lives we are often times sacrificing valuable time, money or experiences. We tend to over think such small details that really have a negligible impact in the long run on our happiness or well being.

My point here is not that we shouldn't take due diligence when it comes to important decisions. My point, but mostly Dan Ariely’s, is that we over think the little crap in our lives. Take the time needed, but don’t linger around with indecision. Pick a door, go through it and make the most of whatever awaits on the other side.  

You can follow me at my Twitter page, contact me via LinkedIn or email me.