What else is on TV?
Women want to know what’s on TV. Men want to know what else is on TV. It’s an observation plucked from one of Jerry Seinfeld’s bits. And as a man, I can relate. I’m usually more curious about what I could be watching rather than what I am watching.
My wife is the governor to my incessant channel flipping.
If I’m watching TV without her my thought process can go something like this…
(*After watching a movie for five minutes…) This movie is good. But what else could I be watching? I think Netflix has Forrest Gump now… that’s a good classic.
*Two minutes later while watching Forrest Gump…
This is kind of slow. I think I want to watch an action movie…
*Now while watching Die Hard 3…
I really wish I could watch the first Die Hard. With a Vengeance (aka Die Hard 3) is good, but not as good as the first. I think I’m in the mood for a comedy.
It’s a constant loop of asking what ELSE is on? After all, there’s an endless landscape of streaming shows and regularly scheduled programming just beyond this!
Life is full of decisions. Each one made at at the expense of another. According to the Prospect Theory, we’re more concerned about what we stand to lose rather than what we stand to gain.
It’s not limited to what television channel you select. But also what career path you choose to take, what city you decide to live in, or who you choose to marry. Your day is saturated with decisions. If a day is made of 1,440 minutes and it’s been estimated that we make 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day, that means you could be making more than 24 decisions in any given minute.
Decision making is a skill you’ll continue to hone throughout your life time. Sometimes you’ll choose right. Sometimes you’ll choose wrong. Sometimes you won’t know one way or the other until further down the road. Some decisions are an acquired taste.
Some decisions are simple.
Some choices are so obvious there’s no decision to make. I’m surer you’ve had those kinds of decisions before. But if we stop and think about it, that’s unique considering what we know about choices. For example, when a man falls head-over-heels in love with a girl, he knows with 100% certainty there is no one else in the world for him.
Other decisions require more energy.
Other decisions are more difficult. But in every decision, whether it’s what you decide to watch on television or who you choose to marry, there are three steps you can take to clarify your decision.
You need to begin by clarifying your values. Ask yourself what is fundamentally important to you.
Knowing your values and what matters most to you will act as your compass. It will help ensure that your choices align with your deeper beliefs and long-term goals. That might sound too deep when it comes to trivial decisions like what movie to watch. But I’d argue that even these seemingly insignificant choices should align with your values.
Complexity is the enemy of progress. And every decision is a form of progress. So, you need to simplify.
We’re often bogged down in the complexity of decision-making. Paralysis by analysis is the problem of having too many options or too much information can lead to decision paralysis, where an individual or group struggles to make any decision at all. Try to simplify the process by reducing options or setting a timer. Allow yourself to take a step back and consider the most straightforward path that aligns with your objectives and values, avoiding over-analysis.
We can spend a lot of time on a decision if we don’t see a time constraint. Use the Two-Minute Rule to make sure too much time doesn’t pass without a decision being made. If a decision can be made in two minutes or less, then make it. Not all decisions need thorough research. If the choice is clear and the facts are available, make the decision sooner rather than later.
Distilling this information in practical implications so we can make better decisions you first need to know your values. Then simplify your options. And finally, stop scrolling and pick a channel… or whatever decision you need to make.