I’ve spent the last few days working on a project. We are adding to our basement, and I’ve been looking for a well-priced sound system that won’t break the bank, and will do exactly what I need it to.
Yesterday I thought that I had found what I needed, but, after placing the order, I realized it wasn’t what was necessary. So, I’ll be returning one item, and replacing it with something else (which I now believe I’ve found, and I should be receiving it soon).
This made me reflect quite a bit on the challenge of choice. While we always want to provide ample choice for our learners and leaders, we also have to recognize the paralysis by analysis that can happen. In fact, yesterday I found myself truly paralyzed by variety. And, also in fact, I ordered a system that probably wasn’t the best choice for my needs. It was too restrictive, and it would make upgrading in the future a headache, at the extent of a very small amount of money (think “Pay me now, or pay me later”). After contemplating this for a while, I realized that we were better off paying a bit more now for the option to modify the system later on. And happily, with Amazon’s return policy, we were able to start the return process before even receiving the product!
A key learning for me from this experience? When presented with too many choices, zero in on what you need, and don’t veer from that!