Hello Guys,
I'm not the best with book reviews, but I recently read a book called "The Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz and there were definitely a few key concepts that really stood out to me. I feel that some of the lessons in the book were somewhat opposition to mustachianism, or at least how I have practiced mustachianism in the past, but I feel were nevertheless correct.
Barry indicated that there is a group of people that often spend excessive amounts of time trying to optimize their decisions in life, and these people are called "optimizers". Optimizers constantly try to get the best deal, best value, perfect this, and perfect that.
In contrast to optimizers there are "satisficers". Satisficers spend little time quibbling over decision they make in life, but are generally fine with "good enough" decisions. They don't worry about getting the best deal, perfect job, or making a perfectly written email (or forum post).
The range of decisions Satisficers or Optimizers apply their decision making techniques range from which toaster oven they should buy to which spouse they should choose.
Barry's research indicated that Optimizers are generally less happy in life. The very act of constantly weighing pro's and con's pays a heavy psychological toll. Whereas Satisficers are generally more happy and satisfied with their life and are less prone to depression and negative feelings.
Barry also said that ultimately it is friends and relationships that make us happy in life, not trying to get the perfect ROI on your investment, or attempting to get the perfect cheese that matches your wine. Go for good enough and then just chill.
I feel like a lot of Mustachians, including myself, are much more on the Optimizer side of the spectrum. I often see people on this forum experiencing "buyers remorse" because they felt they overspent on something, which is often experienced by Optimizers. This is a negative feeling and should be avoided. You should instead be perfectly fine with your decision, understand you were making the correct decision based on the data that was available to you at the time, and not worry about the fact that you could have made a more optimal decision, because at the end of the day it probably wouldn't have a major impact on the quality of your life anyway. What does have an impact on the quality of your life are your relationships, focus on those instead.
I often will spend inordinate amounts of time trying to figure out how I can save a couple of dollars here or there, when really I'd yield greater returns on my happiness by just picking something, living with that decision, and then going out with my friends to hang out or going on a date and meeting a new chick. I cannot even imagine how much further my existing relationships would be and many more relationships I would have if I wasn't spending time worrying about optimizing for stuff that wouldn't make me happy, or that I had already optimized enough for already.
However, I do understand that we need to toe the line somewhat. If we made every decision on a whim, then we probably wouldn't be at a good place in life. There's definitely a balancing act to be had here.
What areas of your guys' thoughts on the book? Can you share anything else that's relevant to this book? I feel like many people on this forums reaction would be that this is "face punch" worthy material, and to that I would say, the data speaks for itself. If you think being a satisficer is "soft" or "lazy" then you probably need a solid look in the mirror.