Decision Before Choice: Fewer Options, Greater Freedom
The Lesson Of Less: A Simple Tactic to Reclaim Your Time, Energy, and Focus
Important Things First — How Did Comedian George Carlin Cleverly Illustrate The Difference Between Choice And Decisions? In his comedy routine, Carlin states that if something is unimportant, like ice cream flavors, you get many choices (think Baskin-Robbins). But when it comes to the important stuff, like who runs the country, your choices are reduced to a two-option decision (like Republicans or Democrats). He concludes by saying, "That's it. It's that simple. If you have too many choices, it is not important."
Truth In Comedy: Carlin was onto something profound. We assume more choices mean more freedom. But what if the opposite is true? What if fewer options actually unlock a more satisfying, less stressful life? This isn't about settling or giving up. It's about being intentional – deciding what truly matters to you before the endless buffet of choices is laid out.
Ask Yourself — What If? What if more isn't more, but more is actually less?
Ask Yourself — What If? What if The Joy Of Missing Out (JOMO) is not only more productive but more satisfying as well?
Ask Yourself — What If? What if this simple mantra, "Decide or decide not. There is no choice," is all you require?
The Before Rule — Decision Before Choice
In this essay, we will discuss the concept of Decision Before Choice.
What Are The Before Rules — A Simple System for Success: Three-word tactical guides direct you in achieving your desired outcomes. They create a simple system to follow. The Before Rules are composed of the following elements:
Strategy vs. Tactic: Strategy refers to your plan, addressing the "what" and "why." A tactic is the action you take, answering the "how." Both are essential. For example, wanting to get fit is your strategy, while going to the gym is a tactic.
Law vs. Rule: Laws are external controls. Rules are internal guides. Laws are imposed by others. You create your own rules.
Transactions, Transformations, Transcending: The Before Rules are a sequential, tactical framework guiding you from transactions to transformations and ultimately to transcending.
How The Before Rules Function — Here Before There: Here's a simple breakdown:
First Word: Your starting point, it's where you are - "Here."
Second Word: The necessary action you must take is "Before" the next step.
Third Word: Your desired outcome, it's where you want to end up - "There."
A Few Before Rule Examples: Deposit Before Withdrawal means you must give (effort, time, and resources) before you can take. Additional examples include Obstacle Before Opportunity, Process Before Progress, Question Before Answer, Why Before How, Commitment Before Outcome, and Decision Before Choice.
Are They A Cheat Code? They are a code but without the cheating part. They are simple, three-word systems that align your actions with your desired outcomes. They help you without relying on willpower. They are your personal code for achieving what you want.
Decision Before Choice
More Isn't More — Less Is More: Psychologist Barry Schwartz, who established the Paradox of Choice theory in his eponymous book, explains that when we expect more choices to bring joy, we often end up disappointed or stressed. Think of the last time you scrolled for half an hour on Netflix but never watched anything or the infinite coffee options at the local cafe. Do you want an espresso, cold brew, cappuccino, latte, or mocha? Too many drink choices often make us feel more anxious than caffeinated.
That's My Jam — How A Few Jars Of Jam Unlocked a Mountain of Insight: Think jam is too small to hold profound lessons? Think again! Psychologist Sheena Iyengar, Ph.D., set up tasting booths to see if people would buy jam. On some days, her team offered shoppers 24 jam flavors to sample. On other days, only six.
Guess what happened?
Less Jam Was More Jam: The 24-flavor display attracted more attention. It was a jam extravaganza! But here's the kicker: people who saw only six flavors were ten times more likely to buy a jar.
The Takeaway? This became known as the famous "Jam Study." Too many options can freeze us. We get overwhelmed. We start questioning, "Is this the best jam? What if I miss out on a better flavor?"
Paradox of Choice: Psychologist Barry Schwartz, Ph.D., reached the same conclusion in his book The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less. His takeaway: the more options we have, the greater our confusion. We start to question whether we've picked the "best" jam, the "coolest" shoes, or the "most advanced" smartphone. We end up standing in the aisle scratching our heads, wondering if we should go home and forget all about jam.
FOMO vs. JOMO: The Secret to Happiness? So, how can we be happy with our decisions? The Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) creeps in when we see the 24 jams, plus a looming thought: "What if the one I skip is the ultimate flavor?"
Too Many Choices, So Little Time: When you consider, examine, poke, and prod every possible item, you become unfulfilled. What if The Joy Of Missing Out (JOMO) is not only more productive but more satisfying as well?
Sometimes Good Enough Is Good Enough: You end up without absolute satisfaction, just a pile of what-ifs and wasted time.
FOMO Is A Limitation — JOMO Is A Freedom: By deciding we want a specific type—say, strawberry jam with low sugar. Suddenly, 18 of those 24 jams become irrelevant. You've narrowed your focus, saved mental energy, and are likelier to enjoy your decision.
The Result? When FOMO shrinks, JOMO expands.
Do We Really Need 60 Different Kinds Of Toilet Paper? Let's stop pretending we need an entire aisle of toilet paper. My bum isn't that complicated! Behavioral economists like Dan Ariely have shown that too many choices can stall us. Instead of feeling free, we get tangled in the fear of picking the "wrong" toilet paper.
Furthermore, psychologist Daniel Gilbert (famed for exploring how we predict our future happiness) points out that we aren't great at imagining what will make us happy in a week, let alone a year. So, if we stand in front of an endless toilet paper aisle, we might think we need to weigh each possibility. But let's be honest: any decent TP will do the job.
Pre-Decision — Your Secret Weapon Against Overwhelm: James Clear, the best-selling author of Atomic Habits, emphasizes our environments shape our decisions more than willpower.
Decision Before Choice — The Shopping List: Clear suggests not keeping chips in the house if we don't want to eat junk food. Similarly, if we don't want to get stuck deciding on jam or toilet paper dilemmas, we should decide on key preferences before leaving for the store. You can further enforce Decision Before Choice by having a shopping list and sticking to it.
"Decide or decide not. There is no choice." (With apologies to Yoda...)
How To Make Choices Easy: Above, I modified Yoda's words to address decisiveness. Rather than "trying" to handle 24 jam flavors on the spot, we simply "decide" the work beforehand by picking our preferred flavors or setting our price range. That way, we've already decided on which flavors we're looking for or how much we're willing to spend before considering the options.
How to Implement Decision Before Choice
Fewer Choices Improve Mental Energy: Neuroscientists have noted that each decision costs some mental energy. Our brains can tire from too many "micro-decisions" every day. If we plan big decisions in advance, the rest of our day flows more smoothly. How can we implement this strategy in our daily lives?
Two's Company, Three's A Crowd—Simplifying the Digital World to Save Your Sanity: If your smartphone's home screen scrolls longer than a CVS receipt, it's time to delete some apps! That might sound extreme, but it channels the principle of Decision Before Choice. The next time you open your phone, decide to keep only the apps you use daily on your home screen and remove or hide the rest. Who needs all those distractions, anyway?
Psychologist Ayelet Fishbach, known for her research on motivation, says setting a clear intention can be a game-changer. If you want to be more mindful, telling yourself, "I only keep apps that help me, not distract me," can guide you to uninstall time-wasters. That's one less decision your brain has to handle tomorrow.
No More "Choose." No More "Maybe." Why Keeping Options Open Can Backfire: Behavioral scientist Dan Ariely discovered we love to keep doors open, even if it hurts us. We'll drag out decisions rather than commit.
Why?
Door Number One Or Door Number Two? We think something better might come along. Yet ironically, while we stand in limbo, we burn precious energy and time. We also risk missing out on enjoying the jam we could have savored.
Big Decisions? Limit Options: We all know the parent strategy to get little Jonny to do something he doesn't want to do by positing a choice: "Do you want to clean your room or take your bath before you have dessert?"
Grown Ups - Same Simple Decisions: It's the same in the corporate world. Countless leaders have discovered the power of deciding on a plan before the big meeting. They might say, "We only have budget for three new projects this quarter," or "We only invest in products that meet these five standards." By setting such guidelines, you spare everyone from endless debates. Productivity soars.
Focus Before Flow: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the father of flow, found that people excel when they know their boundaries. When you pick a few clear objectives, your team will enter a flow state more quickly because they won't constantly second-guess themselves.
An Example Of Decision Before Choice: Imagine you are having your best friends over tomorrow for a meal. If you walk into a supermarket without a plan, you might wander for an hour, grabbing random items you don't need. By contrast, if you decide on what you're making beforehand (chicken fajitas), you can skip entire aisles. That's Decision Before Choice in action. You decided the destination: your fajita recipe. Now, each subsequent selection becomes more straightforward.
Maximum Satisfaction? Psychologists differentiate "maximizers," or those who chase the absolute best. Then there are "satisficers," or those who choose what's good enough and move on.
Put A Ring On It—Be Satisfied: Research suggests satisficers are generally happier with less regret and less stress. They commit wholeheartedly to the jam, the cereal, or the job they picked, trusting their framework. (Learn more about commitment: Three Commitments, Three Rules, Three Minutes.)
Thoughtersize: 5 Ways To Apply Decision Before Choice In Your Life
Deposits Before Withdrawals: Sign up for an automatic savings deposit plan at work. Have your first dollars invested into your future.
No Before Yes: Make your first decision a no before agreeing to any projects that will distract you from what you need to achieve. This applies to financial decisions as well. Does your closet already have more pairs of shoes than a department store?
Systems Before Goals: Focus on creating systems that will effortlessly direct you to achieving your goals rather than just reacting to every interruption you encounter.
Structure Before Freedom: Establishing daily rules eliminates decision fatigue and frees mental energy for more significant matters.
Important Before Urgent: Learn to recognize what is truly important, not simply a squeaky wheel. Apply this concept to your social media demands.
Practical Steps to Implement Decision Before Choice
Identify Your Priorities: Write down the top three features or requirements you want. Define your core must-haves, whether you're selecting a jam, T-shirt, or future job.
Toss Out the Noise: Immediately eliminate any option that does not meet your must-haves. This will save you from the dreaded "What about that other brand?"
Set a Number: Limit yourself to three, maybe five options. This ensures you don't compare twenty items until your head spins. Read more about turning complexity into simplicity here.
Check Your Gut: Among the three, trust the option that resonates with your well-defined priorities.
Forgive Imperfection: There is no perfect jam, job, or gadget. Accepting that fact reduces regret.
Forgive Yourself: More importantly than forgiving imperfection, forgive yourself.
The Why Behind The Why — Connecting The Thoughts: Getting lost in a world that tells us more is always better is easy but untrue.
More Isn't Always Really More: More can be a trap, a one-way box you enter that doesn't have an exit. You end up bouncing off the walls and not making progress.
Decision Before Choice Is The Antidote: This isn't about restriction; it's about freedom. It is about remembering important things first. It is about emphasizing what is truly important.
It is about making decisions before choices.
Your Thoughts May Vary
Thought Improvement welcomes your constructive comments and invites you to share your perspectives and experiences. Together, we can all refine our understanding and application of these concepts.
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