Why Choosing Now Beats Choosing Tomorrow

3 minutes to read

“A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week” ∞ George S. Patton

Having abundant choices is truly a blessing. Think about the tremendous variety of foods in a supermarket and the expansive range of athletic shoes available to name just a couple. We enjoy mind-boggling bounty. The Internet has expanded our abundance even more by bringing goods from around the world just a few clicks away. But it all comes with a price. Choosing from such a huge selection is an oppressive curse.

Too Many Choices Impedes Progress

During previous decades with fewer options, it was easier to decide what you wanted. It took little research to investigate three or four alternatives, typically all of which were in perhaps a couple of locations. You could compare products first hand and quickly make your decision. No online shopping comparison services crawled the Internet to find the best price.

Aside from the amount of time it takes to shop today, some people are essentially paralyzed for fear of making the wrong decision. They compulsively investigate options and obsess over comparisons. Frequently the decision they make is to not choose. They go on looking for a better option, elusive though it is.

The same phenomenon occurs among young adults dating in places like New York. The selection of potential mates is so large no matter how good the person they’re dating is they think there has to be someone better. I’ve spoken with many people angry about their inability to compete with the mythical better choice.

Choosing to Choose

Fundamental to any sound choice is committing to choosing. Especially if doing so is necessary for your growth or advancement in life, delaying the decision to explore more options is counterproductive.

You can make choosing easier by setting up constraints that limit your options. Consider setting a deadline or ruling out a subset of choices to reduce the time you would have taken exploring possibilities.

Particularly when you’re pursuing a goal, taking action today trumps putting off acting while you consider if there is a better alternative. Often by the time you do so, you could have acted on two or more options and gotten the kind of real world feedback necessary to actually know whether a choice has been wise.

Choose, Act & Evaluate is the Smart Strategy for Success

You can spend lots of time examining possibilities and planning or you can decide, see how it works out, and if necessary adjust and re-engage. So choose one and start choosing.

What hinders your being decisive? Please comment below.