Gathering, collecting, searching & researching

It can feel so good, so busy. But there’s a time cost to all that searching and re-searching. Working on a project, report or presentation, we look for information, data, stats and studies to support ideas, claims and points. (This isn’t the university, academic, ‘it’s my job’ kind of researching, completing a PhD or other missive.)

The searching and re-searching is a never-ending journey we take looking for the perfect quote or the most awesome reference.

But how much is enough? When will you have read enough, checked or gathered enough data and evidence?

How will you know?

Most of us don’t know.

We keep going until a deadline, exhaustion, boredom or frustration.

The tip is: work out what you need. Create a shopping list. The most economical shopping is done with a list. Let's do the same. The search is never-ending, looking for the best or better, perhaps hoping that ’the next one’ will be ’the one’, the most perfect source. Sounds like a gambler banking on the next big win.

It's not 'no research'; it's being aware when you're not stopping searching.

Q: What are you searching and researching right now? 

Choose satisficing over maximising

When we're working on a task or activity at some point we need to say, ‘Enough. It's satisfactory. That will suffice.’ 'Satisfactory’ and ‘suffice’ were cleverly combined in Nobel Prize–winning economist Herbert Simon's Theory of Satisficing.

This decision-making theory says look at alternatives and go with the best. Make a choice. It will do, it is good enough.

In my book ‘ish: The Problem with our Pursuit for Perfection and the Life-Changing Practice of Good Enough’, ish means somewhat, to some extent. Ish is about satisficing.

Maximising is not good for us. Perfectionists (called ‘maximisers’ by Simon):

- exhaustively seek the best options

- compare everything against others to an unhealthy degree

- expend excess time and energy, and

- end up unhappier with the outcomes.

Ish is the opposite; it's about being a satisficer. We:

- accept good enough

- not obsess over the options

- move on after deciding, and

- end up being happier with outcomes.

It's good enough!

All that effort, unhappy with the outcomes

On the topic of ‘maximising’, this week’s posts highlight the damaging effects of striving for more, better, perfect.

Maximising isn’t as good as it sounds. It means we put in extreme, herculean efforts trying to make things better, tick all the boxes, cover all the bases (and other metaphors!) to cover every question, topic or query. We work back late, take work home, stay up late, do ‘all nighters’, come in early and put other priorities aside to focus on doing still more on this task or project.

We expend excess time and energy. Excess. More than is required. We know it’s not required because of economic and mathematical laws and principles like the Pareto Effect (the 80/20 rule) and the Law of Diminishing Returns.

Effort is not equal. Some effort is useful, giving us a good return and progress; some of our effort ends up being a total waste of time!

And then ... maximisers don’t tend to be as happy with the outcomes as if they'd called ’time’ sooner on a task. It's a big 'no' to maximising

Do you apply the 80/20 rule in your world (20% effort brings 80% of the reward)?

Comparing against others to an unhealthy degree.

I'm posting on ‘maximising’ this week; the unhelpful activity associated with perfectionism, making us overthink, stress, doubt and be paralysed with inaction, stuck (of course) in comparison.

You know that quote: ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’ ... well, it does indeed make us miserable. The perfectionist (the maximiser) keeps comparing everything, thinking it's the way to a better solution or more perfect answer. We even try and use comparison as a kind of 'evil motivation'.

Comparison itself isn't bad. We are taught to compare and contrast as part of growing and learning. It's how we know an apple is an apple, not an orange. This is identification and sensemaking. So we can't really 'kill comparison' as some less than helpful inspo quotes suggest.

The problem then is not the comparison ... it's the not stopping, the endless and ongoing nature of the act. Enough with berating and being unkind to yourself!

Compare, sure. But then decide to move in to action; action that's in your world, on your stuff, for you. Not them.

Are you in unhelpful comparison on something right now? Like or comment below. 

Exhaustively seeking the best

This week’s posts are on maximising. It's not a good thing.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Herbert Simon talked of ‘maximising'. As a political scientist and cognitive psychologist he knew plenty about how we make decisions.

If we keep working on something - think a presentation, report or document - we can end up wasting a great deal of energy, time and effort. The result is we create stress, worry and unnecessary overthinking.

We can find ourselves overworking, over-researching, checking and rechecking or endlessly gathering information. It’s a painful choice to keep chasing or seeking better or best. And yes, better and best belong where standards of excellence are required and achieved.

But that report, presentation, article, post … it’s time to stop the endless search for the best. It's exhausting. Not just for you, but for the people you work with (and live with). They might be waiting on you to deliver, finish, send or hand over something. Or be there.

Go check with them: is what you’ve done so far good enough for the task at hand?

Do you feel exhausted? Might you be seeking 'the best' on something you're currently working on?