thinking about life: Analysis Paralysis

Woof. It’s already February 2022.

Unfortunately, I have been feeling pretty stuck this year. Here is a video clip that I am stealing from my friend Rish, that describes the last couple of months and the topic I’ll be teeing up.

Vexation, am I right?! 

“Recently, I’ve found myself very frustrated when I’m not able to make a decision quickly. Since time is realistically one of the most valuable resources, we need to eliminate simple stupid decisions from our wasted time quota. I think a solid way to approach this is to “think logically, not sentimentally”. This phrase is pretty self-explanatory and is partly synonymous with phrases like “it’s not that deep” and “just do it”. The point is to leave the sentiment and emotion out of certain decisions. Approach more of your world with logic and simplicity will follow.”

The value-add of this post was eloquently written by my friend Rish. Thank you for creating a newsletter that hit me at the perfect time this morning and letting me steal this excerpt so that I can be a little less stuck.

If you like thoughtful newsletters, cool curated playlists, or dope photography, please check out his website and blog here:) If you want some more words to read on decision-making, click here.


Ok, back to jibber-jabber about being stuck. As much as I would love to pinpoint my roadblock…pinpointing, itself, is the problem.

I find myself obsessed with living an “optimized” life. What am I optimizing for? The intangible and immeasurable metrics of happiness, meaning, and purpose of course.

Now, this is all seems pretty logical, right? We all want to be fulfilled in these areas. And to optimize is to streamline and to streamline is to make more correct decisions than incorrect decisions so that there are fewer hiccups and the process can be as smooth as possible…

But we all know life is not that simple. (Nor that smooth).

Making more right than wrong decisions makes sense, but the dangerous part of all of this is getting caught up in the cycle of “right vs wrong” decisions. Inherently, you will weigh the pros and cons of any important decision…the critical issue arrises when there is no obvious better answer…you don’t want to make the wrong decision…so you don’t make any decision, and you get stuck. Thus being pulled into, and gravitating around, “Analysis Paralysis.”

The Solution? Sometimes making the wrong decision quickly, is better than wasting time trying to figure out which is the right one.

“Fail hard and fail fast,” right?

This may make sense, but can be difficult to actually execute.
Now, I know that this will not be the answer to every decision. This decision-making equation is factoring in the resource of time, which I have personally concluded is a valuable variable. Different values, contexts, or goals may change this.

However, I will introduce one last consideration before closing my argument.

Any decision is better than no decision. The concept of “right and wrong” decisions makes it harder for us to actually MAKE decisions and if you are stuck feeling stuck, the only cure is action.
Ultimately, with enough intentional practice, you will be able to adjust your mental model on decision-making, so that even the “wrong” decisions can be the right decisions for you. 

Make a decision. Create change.

(Also! Another mental model pertaining to decision-making that I struggle with is wanting to make the decisions black and white. 1 or 0. Although your brain likes this and tries to convince you that it is so…in reality, most of life is grey and uncertain. Living in this uncertainty is tough, but an important skill to learn and develop…more on this, in another post).

Lastly, if you are really feeling stuck, figure out the decisions that you have been overanalyzing and procrastinating, assign them heads or tails, and flip a coin…your reaction to the outcome will tell you a lot...and it’s a much more efficient than thinking;)
If you are really really stuck, check out this post by Tim Ferris on “Fear-Setting.” 

As with all of my thought posts, it's always easier said than done.

To continue the practice of “doing,” and making better decisions, I will have finally posted “Letter 0” of my newsletter by 2/6/22.
You can subscribe at the bottom of this page.

Much love,
Anthony