Productivity: Don’t insist on the best

There are two types of decision-makers in this world:

• Satisficers make a decision once their minimum criteria are met. As soon as they find a hotel or ice cream or crossbow that has the qualities they desire, they’re satisfied. They make the purchase and move on.
• Maximizers want to make the best possible decision. Even if they find a lawnmower or a toaster oven that meets their needs, they can’t make a decision until they’ve explored and examined every option.

This next finding should not be surprising:

Satisficers tend to be happier than maximizers.

Maximizers expend more time and energy reaching decisions. As a result, they’re often anxious about their choices. They are also more likely to experiment with brands, oftentimes choosing less-than-ideal products in search of the perfect product.

Satisficers spend less time and energy searching for the perfect product. They experience less anxiety over their choices and are far happier with their decisions, even when those decisions are not always as ideal as a maximizer’s decision because instead of the absolutely ideal choice, they instead have the gift of time.

Less time spent researching the best chainsaw leads to more time spent with family, friends, and chocolate.

Satisficers also possess greater peace of mind. Fewer opportunities for disappointment. Less time spent staring at boring things on the internet.

Also, less fretting, stewing, agonizing, and worrying.

I have always been a satisficer. My hatred for shopping and retail establishments, combined with my relentless desire to spend time well, has served me well in this regard.

I was once buying golf shoes with a friend. As we entered the shoe department, I saw a pair of shoes perched atop a pile of boxes. They were made by a trusted brand, so once I confirmed that they were waterproof, I said, “I’ll take these.”

“Seriously?” my friend said. “You’re going to buy the first pair you saw?”

“Yup.”

My friend endlessly teased me about this quick and seemingly thoughtless purchasing decision, but that was more than eight years ago.

I’m still wearing those shoes.

I also haven’t given that decision a second thought.

I know many maximizers. I’m occasionally married to a maximizer. It’s hard to be a maximizer.

I’ve been told by some maximizers that they find joy in the hunt. The search for the perfect product, they claim, is enjoyable, exciting,  and even thrilling.

Perhaps this is true, but we must also remember that whenever we choose one thing, we reject another.

If you spend five hours researching waffle irons to ensure that you purchase the finest waffle iron on the market, that also means you chose the optimal waffle iron over time spent with family and friends. Opportunities to exercise, hike, try axe throwing for the first time, or read a book.

If you can avoid being a maximizer (or stop being a maximizer), you may admittedly suffer from choices that are slightly less than ideal, but you will likely be a happier person.

It’s your choice:

The absolutely ideal garden hose, accompanied by a healthy dose of anxiety and a considerable loss of time, or a B+ garden hose and a happier life.