Here is a little psychological trick that can be useful for those of us who have troubles with decision-making. I have found it rather helpful and time-saving on quite a few occasions.
So, suppose you are totally stuck trying to make a Buridan’s ass choice between case A and case B, and you need to make a quick decision. Your quick utilitarian estimate have not been able to solve your problem, if you continue the deliberation, you are running the risk of missing both opportunities, and you are wasting your time and brainpower on this decision. There is also a known phenomenon that taking too much time for deliberation can be as bad for your performance/decision quality as taking too little time. So, here’s a simple trick to make the choice quicker and easier: you toss the coin. The twist here is that first, you outsource the decision-making process to an agency outside of your control (the coin), and then you need to give yourself exactly one chance to veto the outcome. So, after the coin toss, do a quick evaluation of your feelings. If the outcome leaves you feeling resentful—switch the choice. If you feel relieved by the outcome—keep the choice. My guess at why this works is that making a decision incurs a larger willpower cost than judging whether the pre-made decision is right or wrong.
Now, the remaining outcome is that after the coin toss has been made, you don’t feel anything. Then, if the choice is necessary—as in, you actually do need either A or B, just go with the toss and congratulate yourself for saving some time and mental effort. If you don’t actually need either A or B—ask a little question on whether you actually want either of those items, because if you don’t care about whether A or B was chosen, chances are you don’t really need them that bad anyways.
Whenever you’re called on to make up your mind, and you’re hampered by not having any, the best way to solve the dilemma, you’ll find, is simply by spinning a penny.
No—not so that chance shall decide the affair while you’re passively standing there moping; but the moment the penny is up in the air, you suddenly know what you’re hoping.
Here is a little psychological trick that can be useful for those of us who have troubles with decision-making. I have found it rather helpful and time-saving on quite a few occasions.
So, suppose you are totally stuck trying to make a Buridan’s ass choice between case A and case B, and you need to make a quick decision. Your quick utilitarian estimate have not been able to solve your problem, if you continue the deliberation, you are running the risk of missing both opportunities, and you are wasting your time and brainpower on this decision. There is also a known phenomenon that taking too much time for deliberation can be as bad for your performance/decision quality as taking too little time. So, here’s a simple trick to make the choice quicker and easier: you toss the coin. The twist here is that first, you outsource the decision-making process to an agency outside of your control (the coin), and then you need to give yourself exactly one chance to veto the outcome. So, after the coin toss, do a quick evaluation of your feelings. If the outcome leaves you feeling resentful—switch the choice. If you feel relieved by the outcome—keep the choice. My guess at why this works is that making a decision incurs a larger willpower cost than judging whether the pre-made decision is right or wrong.
Now, the remaining outcome is that after the coin toss has been made, you don’t feel anything. Then, if the choice is necessary—as in, you actually do need either A or B, just go with the toss and congratulate yourself for saving some time and mental effort. If you don’t actually need either A or B—ask a little question on whether you actually want either of those items, because if you don’t care about whether A or B was chosen, chances are you don’t really need them that bad anyways.
-- Piet Hein