In short: Life gets simpler and happier when we stop overthinking decisions.

The Restaurant Dilemma

Picture this: You're in a new restaurant. You open the menu and read through every dish. You hesitate, torn between three dishes you really want. Finally, you make the tough choice and pick one. When your dish arrives, it's delicious, but you can't help but wonder about the other options.

Now, think about someone else in the same restaurant. They ask the waiter for a recommendation and go with it. When their plate arrives, they're happy and don't even think about what else was on the menu. They're just satisfied. Next time they visit, they might ask for another recommendation and enjoy that too.

Energy in Decision-Making

I believe there's a limit to how much energy we should spend on decisions. Beyond a certain point, no matter what choice we make, it feels frustrating because we've invested too much energy. For small decisions, don't overthink it. Just be satisfied with something nice.

Satisfier vs. Optimizer

Psychologists talk about being a satisfier versus an optimizer. A satisfier knows that most decisions don't need perfect calculations. They understand that enough is enough and there's no need to always seek something better. This mindset lets us enjoy life with simplicity and satisfaction.