Cut down anxiety and dodge the Paradox of Choice.
In a recent Third Nature Conscious Conversation, we talked about the Paradox of Choice, a concept first popularized by Barry Schwartz in his book of the same name.
The Paradox of Choice says that the more choices we have available, the harder it is to choose. Instead of empowering us to thoughtful action, an array of choices paralyzes us in indecision.
For those of us who are gifted with the privilege of many choices, the question becomes: how can we cut through the clutter and pick well, without pulling our hair out?
In our conscious conversations, we came up with 4 simple ways to cut through the complexity and make good decisions amidst dizzying options.
1. The Fear Setting Based Strategy
Tim Ferris, the productivity guru, has written extensively about what he calls fear-setting. It’s an approach to making life choices based on your fears instead of your goals.
At first glance, this sounds counter intuitive. But it provides valuable perspective because fear setting reveals the worst case scenario, which is rarely as bad as we believe it to be.
The power of fear setting is that it gives perspective (is it that big of a deal?) and identifies ways to mitigate risk as we choose.
By implementing fear setting, you can avoid fretting over decisions that don’t matter and mitigate risk like a pro for those that do.
2. The Values Based Strategy
The second choice making method we spoke of is to choose based on your values.
Everyone revolves around a simple question: What do you value?
When buying products, ask: which companies align with my values? Your choice in the grocery store becomes simple (though probably pricey).
When looking for work, ask: what companies share my values? Your job search net becomes more focused (and more inspiring).
Asking how your values align with a choice is a simple filter that is meaningful and flexible. Props to Ana Primo for this clear and uncluttered way to choose!
3. The Community Based Strategy
Community based choices are decisions based on the opinion, feedback, and choices of those you trust.
After becoming frustrated with the overwhelming amount of choices in books, I started utilizing community decision making to simplify and improve my reading experience.
These days, I choose my books in two ways. The first way is to only read books that come highly recommended from trusted friends. The second way is to read a book with a friend. Using this filter for books has simplified my reading life and helped me read more, and look less.
Community based choices are valuable in a variety of areas of life, especially when it comes to big purchasing decisions (insurance, housing, cars, etc). By trusting the choices of people we trust, we make our choices much simpler while improving our relationships at the same time.
4. The Experimental Strategy
My personal philosophy for most choices is to view everything as an experiment. Experimental choices are made by asking the question: What can I learn from this choice?
Considering choices as experiments is helpful for low risk, high frequency choices like buying shampoo, watching TV, and the like.
Considering small choices as experiments has helped me transform anxiety inducing arenas like the grocery store into fun adventures where I “get” to try out new things.
So that’s that. A little summary of a Conscious Conversation with Startup Island and 4 new ways to choose.
