The Plethora Of Choices

Every day we wake up and make innumerable choices, from whether to shower first or eat; whether to get emails done or to meditate. Of course, after a certain point you create a routine but that routine came about after you realized what was effective and efficient for you or what felt the most comfortable. Our world transposed from having limited choices to almost having to make a choice before you even wake up. This constant tussle between the choices almost each of them screaming “pick me”. The constant attempts of alluring us in by proving their superiority; regardless of whether they are good for us or not.

Economics is made up of the same concept, it is sometimes defined as “the study of the problem of choice”. In this fast paced world what happens when you fail to make a choice or worse make the wrong one? Sometimes we just are stumped with the array of choices: ordering takeout or pizza, stay in or go out for the night, what to wear to school. These choices might seem mundane down the line, but at the time they were made, they might have seemed of some significance to us. After economists started studying this phenomenon they realized the impact of every single choice we made, they realized reducing the amount of choices we made might actually help us. Every choice we make takes a toll on our mind, as a result our productivity is reduced.

Some well-known people like Steve jobs and Mark Zuckerberg were always wearing a similar looking outfit- in the case of Steve Jobs it was the iconic black turtleneck, blue jeans and sneakers and in the case of Zuckerberg it was the somber tee and denim jeans – When asked about the reason for wearing the same outfit every day the answer was usually along the lines of reducing choices to create space and prioritize other important tasks. Most schools also have uniforms which also have a similar affect, though they might not have been intended for this purpose.

Such efforts to reduce mundane choices and to declutter might prove to us; the significance of the toll a choice takes on our mind. Sometimes we just go through our day on autopilot, walking in a daze and making choices without considering them, which tells us that these choices can be made without our attention; then why spend our time deliberating about them? Now this goes without saying quite a few do require due consideration, some of them include: lifestyle change, work, big decisions like buying a car or a house, if your job requires you to present yourself in a particular way then what to wear is an important question, and any other choice which will help you out in the long run. To save time by cutting down these unnecessary choices could be used for anything that you fancy.

To conclude, our time is of the utmost importance and the need to prioritize is more than ever of the essence in this day and age. To waste time on a choice which doesn’t matter to us is a disservice to no one but ourselves. For a saying as old as time itself goes “time once gone, doesn’t come back” is still true to this day.

 

– Hriday Arora