{"id":76253,"date":"2022-08-11T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=76253"},"modified":"2022-08-22T16:03:17","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T20:03:17","slug":"how-to-make-better-decisions-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-better-decisions-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Better Decisions: Consider More Options"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is it a good idea to expand your options when making important decisions<\/a>? What’s the ideal number of options for a decision? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can significantly improve our decisions by coming up with more options. Doing so guarantees that you have at least two backup options. However, having too many options<\/a> overwhelms you. It’s best to aim for three to four strong, distinct options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this in mind, here’s how to make better decisions<\/a> by widening your pool of options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Uncover More Options<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because of binary thinking, during the first step of decision-making<\/a>, we tend to come up with only two options. There’s ample psychological research on how to make better decisions<\/a>, and findings suggest considering more than two distinct options facilitates faster, more creative decisions that better suit our needs. Additionally, doing so guarantees that you have at least two backup options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Many Options Should You Have?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many researchers and authors investigate how many options are optimal for decision-making. Because Decisive<\/em> focuses on big decisions, we\u2019ll share several findings from research that examines high-stakes<\/em> decisions (rather than inconsequential decisions, such as what color tie to wear).

Like the Heath brothers, researchers have observed that having lots of options doesn\u2019t always lead to better, more creative decisions with helpful backup options: There are clear negative consequences of having too many<\/em> options. For example, when people are offered too many options for healthcare plans, they become stressed and make a careless choice\u2014or in some cases opt out of enrollment altogether<\/a>. Similarly, one study found that online daters who chose from among six people to date were more satisfied with their decisions than people who considered 24 options<\/a>. 

Furthermore, although the Heath brothers warn against binary thinking, some research illuminates the benefits of binary choices. For example, research on retirement planning found that people made wiser investment choices when presented with a binary of two options versus a selection of five options<\/a>. 
Finally, the optimal number of choices may depend on how different those choices are from each other. Research supports the Heath brothers\u2019 claim that it\u2019s important to consider options that are distinct from each other. For example, research found that when doctors were presented with three options for patient care including two highly similar options, they usually opted for the most dissimilar option to avoid having to choose between the two similar options<\/a>. 

The fact that there\u2019s no clear consensus among researchers about the optimal number of options suggests that this number depends on the nature of the decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which Decisions Are Worth Developing Multiple Options For?<\/strong>

This first step of the Heath brothers\u2019 process, uncovering more options, offers many benefits\u2014but it may be time-intensive. Life is finite, as Oliver Burkeman reminds us in his book Four Thousand Weeks,<\/em><\/a> and he argues that we must thoughtfully manage our time to prioritize what matters most to us<\/a>. Similarly, Barry Schwartz argues in The Paradox of Choice<\/em><\/a> that having too many choices in all areas of our lives causes us to devote too much time to unimportant decisions<\/a>. So, how do we decide which<\/em> decisions to spend time on?

Psychologist Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational<\/em><\/a>, recommends considering whether the decision you\u2019re making has an expiration date and prioritizing decisions that do<\/a>. For example, a person with a sick grandparent may prioritize the decision of how to spend time with them over a decision that doesn\u2019t expire (such as whether to buy a grill).

Once we\u2019ve determined which decisions are worth our time, we can reduce our decision-making time for less-important ones. One psychologist, who warns that decision overload leads to procrastination<\/a>, offers several techniques:

Have someone else make the decision.<\/strong> Find someone else who might be better at making that decision than you (and possibly even enjoy making it). For instance, if you\u2019re unsure what to wear to an event, consider asking a fashionable friend to choose your outfit.

Choose a \u201cgo-to\u201d option.<\/strong> For recurring decisions, automatically go with the same, easily doable option\u2014even if it\u2019s not perfect. For instance, if you want to exercise more, choose a \u201cgo-to\u201d exercise\u2014such as a 30-minute run\u2014and only deviate from that plan if you have the time and energy to brainstorm something that requires more planning (such as weightlifting).<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is it a good idea to expand your options when making important decisions? What’s the ideal number of options for a decision? We can significantly improve our decisions by coming up with more options. Doing so guarantees that you have at least two backup options. However, having too many options overwhelms you. It’s best to aim for three to four strong, distinct options.  With this in mind, here’s how to make better decisions by widening your pool of options.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":6502,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,43],"tags":[721],"class_list":["post-76253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-self-improvement","tag-decisive","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Make Better Decisions: Consider More Options - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"People tend to narrow down their options when making important decisions. But it's actually better to consider MORE options. 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