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When I was growing up in the 1950s, there was one kind of TV, black
and white. And it came in a big, hardwood cabinet. In Tucson, Arizona
we had the big three TV networks and it wasn't until late in my teens
that we got a fourth one.
Nowadays, I surf dozens of channels. TVs come in every imaginable size
and shape from tiny portables to giant flat-screens.
Choices, choices, and more choices.
While it was easy to choose a TV in 1955, it gets harder every day.
And the same is true of fast food, clothing, business services, software,
and so on.
One of the motivation styles is Innovator-Processor.
Innovators like choice; Processors like to follow a procedure. Too many
options can paralyze a processor, but they can also paralyze
an innovator.
I remember a guy I worked with at the phone company. His manager gave
him the task of evaluating off-the-shelf software for some application.
Months later he was still gathering all of the available programs.
The same is true of the internet. Search for one thing and you'll find
a half dozen other interesting topics. If you follow those threads,
you'll find dozens more. Soon you'll have no idea where you started
or what you were doing, but a whole day has slipped by.
Back in 1956, a behavioral scientist found that humans
can only grasp seven plus or minus two (five-to-nine) things at one
time. Beyond this, they go into overload. Examples: seven
digits in a phone number or nine in a Social Security Number.
Lesson: Too many choices overwhelm.
Escaping the Options Trap
As the number of choices increase, your chances of paralysis also increase.
One of the things I discovered when I work with clients is that they
are often overwhelmed with data about their company's performance. They
have so much data that they don't know where to begin.
I, on the other hand, have some criteria about what I'm looking for.
I'm only interested in data about defects or delay. This eliminates
a huge amount of data from my field of vision.
Then, I apply the 4-50 rule (4% of the business causes over half of
the waste, rework, and lost productivity). This is a refinement of the
80/20 rule. I'm looking for the vital few pieces of information that
will lead me in the right direction.
I have a friend who is very successful at doing mergers and acquisitions
in New York. We found that we have the same ability to sift through
mountains of information for the few relevant parts. He's doing due
diligence, while I'm doing problem solving.
The key is we're both willing to abandon or
throw out anything that isn't relevant to our research mission.
And we know we're going to throw out most of it to find the few kernels
of truth we need to make an informed decision.
Symptoms
How can you tell if you're paralyzed by options? Simple: You will probably
feel anxious about what to choose or feel completely stuck. How can
you get unstuck? Narrow your options:
Step 1: Establish Criteria
What are you looking for? Take some time to figure out what you want
before you start gathering information about products, services, whatever.
It doesn't matter if you're surfing the cable channels for crime shows
or cooking shows. You're always applying some criteria. The same is
true of the internet, better keywords deliver better results. The same
is true of looking for a job or someone to date. It's easier if you
know what you're looking for.
Step 2: Use the 4-50 Rule
What's vital and what's irrelevant? Abandon everything that doesn't
fit your criteria. Update your criteria as you learn more about what
you want.
Step 3: Use the 7 plus/minus 2 Rule
Narrow your choices down to five-to-nine or fewer. Then you have a good
chance of being able to make a good decision rapidly. Every additional
choice increases your chances of analysis paralysis.
Step 4: Good Enough
If there are three relatively good choices, which one is good enough?
The search for perfection invites delay. How many people do you know
who are waiting for the perfect spouse, house, job, or whatever? What
are they waiting for?
It's good to have some choices, but too many can inhibit your success.
Set your criteria; narrow your focus; and choose
a solution that's good enough for your current needs. Making
choices creates momentum. Excessive analysis invites stagnation. Only
you can decide which one's right for you.
© 2005 Jay Arthur, the KnowWare® Man, works with companies
who want to plug the leaks in their cash flow and people who want to master the
mysteries of the mind.. To have Jay Arthur to train your staff, contact
Jay at (888) 468-1537, lifestar@qimacros.com.  Want
to discover your own "motivation profile?" Go to The
Motivation Profile and take the complete profile online FREE. Compare your
results with your spouse, kids, or coworkers to determine where you are most likely
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