FROM NO STAKES TO HIGH STAKES, THE AVERAGE ADULT NAVIGATES AROUND 35,000 DECISIONS DAILY. AUTHOR PATRICK MCGINNIS UNRAVELS THE INTRICACIES OF DECISION-MAKING IN THE AGE OF LIMITLESS CHOICES.
“We live in an age where we have such overwhelming choice, so as a result, choice paralysis. BOBO stands for fear of a better Option. Your phone. It is the world's largest store. The world's largest everything. We are looking for the perfect solution, and at the same time we think, well, if I keep looking, if I keep searching, somehow, I'll find something better.
MCGINNIS CATEGORIZES EVERYDAY DECISIONS INTO THREE BUCKETS. HIGH STAKES, LOW STAKES, AND NO STAKES.”
“No stakes decisions are those things that you won't even remember having to think about in a couple of days. It's like, what should I have for lunch? The chicken or the fish with the no stakes decisions, ask the watch. If the second hand is on the left side, it's, you know, between six and 12, do one thing. If it's on the other side, do another. The second kind of decision are what are called low stakes decisions. They need some sort of expertise and criteria, but they're not the kinds of things we should agonize over. Things like which hotel to stay in on a trip and the final are the high stakes decisions. Those are the big things. Who am I gonna marry? Where am I gonna buy a house? Where am I gonna live? What job am I gonna take? These are things that require our attention, our intention, and our focus. What I recommend people do is you eliminate one by one. Okay? So you have four things. You say, okay, what's my least favorite of these four? You eliminate it. Then you go to the eliminate another one until you get down to two. Then you eliminate again, and then you're left with one. Reminding yourself that decisions are pathways to more decisions rather than ending points can be a very helpful construct to move forward.”
THE BUSINESS REVIEW IS A PRODUCTION OF LIVINGSTON AND MCKAY AND THE HANKAMER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY.
