The Paradox of Choice

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My mission is to question everything, grow every day and have fun along the way. The Summit’s mission is to invite you to do the same.

Tuesday Deep Dive: The Paradox of Choice 

Last month, I spent ten days on my first ever cruise to celebrate my parents’ 50th birthdays (talk about old 🤣). If you have ever been on a cruise, you would know that there is unlimited food ALL…THE…TIME. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing: buffet restaurants, burger joints, pizza places, sweets bars and unlimited ice cream, all for FREE (technically not). No wonder nobody told me about this sooner because I think I just about put them out of business. I was averaging three entrees, three mains and three deserts… every meal.

And as you can probably imagine I felt like absolute sh*t. My eyes were about ten sizes bigger than my mouth. Yet, my stubborn and stingy nature REFUSED to tap out, no matter how overwhelming full I felt. I wouldn’t say I regret it (remember I am very stubborn), but it did get me thinking about how next time, I should probably have a little more self-control.

But how does one control themselves in a buffet? This might sound like a stretch, but I think it is the same way we learn to control ourselves in many other situations: when shopping, buying groceries or even managing our finances. When there are so many options of things to buy, and activities to do, how do you limit yourself to only pick the ones you really need?

Do any of the following situations sound familiar?

• Picking a Movie: a personal pet peeve. You sit down to watch a nice movie with your family or even just yourself, only to spend 30 minutes scrolling. You might even start one and then five minutes later change your mind and keep looking. Why??? Because you know there are thousands of other options that COULD be better. This was never a problem when we were all watching 9GO…

• Deciding What to Eat: another pet peeve.

  💁‍♂️ “Where should we go for dinner tonight?”

  🤷‍♀️ “Anywhere, I don’t mind. You Pick.”

  💁‍♂️ “Cool, Mexican?”

  🙅‍♀️ “Nah.”

  💁‍♂️ “Thai?”

  🙅‍♀️ “NO.”

  … 10 minutes later…

  🙍‍♀️ “Fine, Mexican”

  (you know who you are)

• Leaving School: everyone goes through this.

  👨‍🏫 “What are you going to do with your life after school?”

  🧑‍🎓 “Hmm, let me just pick from the 3000 options”

• Weekends: picking what to do with your time. Should you go see your friends, your family, your partner? Should you exercise? Should you try something new? Should you be productive? Watch a movie?

• Shopping: there are literally millions of things you can buy. How do you pick only the things you really need? How do you stop yourself from buying everything? I only make that last point because I can generally afford most things at Salvos 🤣 (I’m not a huge shopper, but I do love the occasional thrift).

• Sweets: very similar to the buffet. At my old workplace, there was a free for all sweets bowl sat right near my desk (how good)! I was lucky enough that thanks to some kind people (shoutout triple A) the bowl was generally FULL. So of course, more times than I care to admit, I single handedly emptied that bowl (especially if there were cookies).

The Problem:

As you can see, it can be extremely difficult to make decisions and control ourselves in situations where there is an abundance of choice. This double-edged sword is commonly known as the paradox of choice.

We tend to believe that more options equal greater happiness and opportunities, but the fear of missing out (FOMO) and the elusive pursuit of ‘perfection’ can lead to decision paralysis, stress, procrastination and even regret (scrolling Netflix jumps straight to mind)!

Strategies I am trying to implement:

• Minimalism: less is more.

• Quality over Quantity: Focus on choosing experiences or items that truly bring you joy, rather than just grabbing everything in sight. Unless you are picking out cookies of course, quantity trumps quality every time - at least I tell myself this.

• Set Limits: Whether it's screen time, shopping sprees, or food, establish boundaries to prevent overindulgence.

• Water the Grass (Gratitude): Appreciate what you have instead of always wanting more. The grass is always greener where you water it.

• Eliminate Options: Be ruthless. If something doesn't align with your goals or values (personal mission statement), cut it from the list. Remember Vitamin N!

• Avoid Analysis Paralysis: Don't overthink it. Sometimes, just making a decision is better than endless deliberation.

If you have any more suggestions, please respond and let me know! Finally, good luck choosing a movie tonight 😆!

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