The Elimination of Choice

I was thinking the other day… You know what one of our biggest obstacles is in life? Choice.

Choice has derailed more great plans than virtually anything else.

Example: I want to write this article to you. Well, I have 14 different ideas about things I could say to you today. Problem is, 14 different things causes something called “decision paralysis.” If I want to write this article to you, I first have to think about what I want to say. Well, what day is it? Which thought can be translated into an article that’s worthy of your time? Before I know it, it’s three hours later, I haven’t written anything, and you don’t get an article today.

So instead of having 14 different article ideas for today, I only have one, because I’ve scheduled all 14 of them for different days over the next two months. With my calendar in front of me telling me what I’m supposed to write about today, I’ve eliminated the choice that was keeping me from writing this in the first place.

Same thing with almost anything in my life. Some of you know I have two sides to my bedroom closet, and they’re actually labelled. The left side says “office/travel,” and is filled with t-shirts and jeans. The right side says “speaking/TV,” and is filled with button down shirts, sport jackets, and nicer jeans. That’s it. The sweaters, suits, ties, vests, all that crap? In my daughter’s closet, where I can’t be distracted by it. “Oh, I remember that sweater, Jennifer gave me that sweater, I wonder how she’s doing, I should look her up,” and all of a sudden it’s three hours later and I’m naked, in the living room, on Facebook, and I haven’t left the house.

Eliminate choice in your life wherever possible. You’ll thank me for it, I promise.