How to make the right choice

Think of a typical dinner time at home. The four-membered family has 16 opinions on what to eat. You want to cook. Your husband wants to eat out. Your son is stuck between Burger and Pizza, whereas your teen daughter prefers to order some unpronounceable dish from a far-off ethnic restaurant.

Well, we cannot blame them. We have multiple options today and find ourselves pulled in different directions simultaneously. Personally, my mornings are filled with indecision about how to get to the office. My mental dialogue is somewhat like this: ‘Should I call a cab? or an Uber? or should I drive? No, I might run into traffic. Getting a metro train is easier. But isn’t carpooling more economical? What about cycling? But will it rain midway?’

‘Oh hell! I will work from home.’

The age of choice

In his famous book, Essentialism, Greg McKeown points out that future historians will mark our age not as an age of information, nor that of technological revolution, but as the time in history when humans got empowered with choice.

Our grandparents didn’t have the same options we did. They were not confused about dinner because the only option was to cook their meal. When it came to choices, at best, they had one, at worst, none.

The situation didn’t improve for our parents either. For example, my dad had to stay in a technical job for over three decades, though he was cut out to be a language teacher. But his only options were to either stay in the job or risk starving.

An avalanche of options

Our generation enjoys the blessing of multiple choices. When I felt trapped at work, unlike my dad, I had the opportunity to change careers and experiment with many jobs until I found my best suit.

However, sometimes we are washed away by the flood of options. Because with too many alternatives, it would be onerous to find the right fit. Our urge to make the right choice, mixed with the fear of missing out, takes us through a mental turmoil.

Nevertheless, our 21st-century life demands us to make multiple daily decisions. From lipstick to a life partner, from ‘how to get to the office’ to ‘what to eat for dinner’, we are forced to choose at every turn. Thus life becomes overly complicated.

What happens if we don’t make the right choice?

When choosing a lipstick, our wrong decision may not affect us much, other than staining your look, deflating your confidence, and ruining your presentation day. Okay, it does affect us. But we can throw it in the bin and get another. My point is that we can course correct some wrong decisions with a bit of effort.

But many crucial decisions like whom to marry, which job to choose, where to live, and what to opt for a major can have long-term impacts. Even though it is not impossible to jump ships, it can be costly.

Sometimes seemingly unimportant choices, like whether we decide to read or play video games in our spare time, can have long-lasting effects on our lives. So it is better to learn to pick the right choice.

Make the right choices

How can we fish out the right choice from the sea of options? Well, there is no institute with graduate course in decision making. But following some simple guidelines can make decision making easier.

Reduce the number of decisions

The more decisions you have to make, the more there is a chance of error. Most of us face the problem of decision fatigue: a phenomenon by which different decisions sap our energy and affect the quality of decisions.

A well-thought-out routine reduces the number of trivial decisions we have to make daily. Mapping out what to do and when puts your brain at ease. It also helps to conserve energy for bigger decisions.

Minimalism is another way to simplify life. People like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg keep only a few pairs of outfits so as to make one less decision every day.

Write down your priority

Many options allure us with perks. To avoid getting beguiled, write down your priority. For instance, if your priority is a loving and caring life partner, don’t fall head over heels for that rich, attractive guy.

Decide with data

We are living in an era of data analysis. Make sure to find data and weigh your options with it. If you are confused about a job offer, try to learn more about the nature of work by connecting with someone on LinkedIn.

Sleep over it

Do not get impulsive when making choices. Give yourself the time and space to choose rationally. If you can, sleep before you zero in on a decision. Studies have proven that sleep improves the quality of decisions.

See the bigger picture

Yes, playing video games for the whole weekend is fun. But if you read, sleep and meditate, you feel better rested for the coming week. Also, it will have long-term benefits for your well-being. Hence choose the option which pays dividends in the long term.

Choose wisely

It is good to have options and choices. It allows us to explore and live our lives to the fullest. However, we might get paralyzed with indecision if we fail to approach them strategically.

With some effort and critical thinking, we can at once enjoy the freedom of choice and sidestep its pitfalls.

So, what are you having for dinner?

Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think. Please post your opinions below.