Maximizer or Satisficer?

Do you explore too many options? Get a 20-minute author clarity session to slice through your decision making.   A few 20-minute spots available this week to get clarity about your book project. First come, first served: https://www.timetrade.com/book/3MKL1 Maximizer or Satisficer? I've been thinking a lot lately about how I make decisions. I consider every option. I use multiple variables to triangulate. I want to make the best, most perfect decision. In fact, I proudly used the word triangulate in explaining to my husband why it was taking me weeks to purchase a plane ticket for our Gap Year trip to Paris next month. If you've ever used Kayak to look for the "best flight option" you know how overwhelming it can be: cost, airline, partner airlines, number of stops, available seats, upgrade possibilities, departure and return cities. And how do you use all those American Express points? He looked at me with perplexity. Why don't you just go with the first, most sensible option, he asked. Turns out Sam is a Satisficer and I'm a Maximizer. That explains a lot. And not just about purchasing airline tickets. How Does Your Decision-Making Style Relate to Writing? The terms maximizer and satisficer were popularized almost a decade ago when psychologist Barry Schwartz used them in his best-selling The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less. Simply put, a maximizer is a perfectionist who exhaustively explores every possible angle before making a choice. A satisficer (satisfy + suffice) makes an acceptable choice and does it quickly. Not surprisingly, the cost of being a maximizer is stress and anxiety. The extra effort plus the time consumed often outweighs any possible improvement in the final outcome. I like to think that I only "maximize" when the decision is significant in terms of cost or impact on my business or life. But the fact is I probably do spend a bit too much time scanning the toothpaste and orange juice displays at the grocery store. Maximizers Make the Sh*tty First Draft Even More Difficult And I know that I spend too much time worrying about how I will complete the first draft of something I'm writing. Will it be complete? Logical? Interesting? Persuasive? Brilliant? Of course not. That's the whole point. It's not supposed to be. As a perfectionist, I set the bar too high and make the process more difficult than it needs to be. If you fall into the maximizing category for some or all of your decision-making, it can result in postponing a book project: For the perfect moment Until you have enough time to write Until you've figured out just the right angle  Until you've completed the next round of business travel Until you've nailed a killer title And so on Take 20 Minutes to Get Clarity and Cut Through Your Decision Cycle   If that sounds like you, click the link below to get one of several spots I've opened this week for a 20-minute conversation to get clarity about your book project. Clients tell me I'm exceptionally good at this.  https://www.timetrade.com/book/3MKL1  We will identify obstacles and by the end of our conversation you will have a plan for moving forward. I'll tell you about my three-month Author Breakthrough program and you can decide if we're a fit to work together. We Can Talk By Phone or Via Skype If you're outside the U.S. we'll talk via Skype. Yours in making quicker, more satisfying decisions, Debbie Useful Links You can learn more about my three-month Author Breakthrough program at http://Author-Breakthrough.com. There are two spots left to work with me this fall. Gap Year After Sixty: Sam and I continue to write at http://GapYearAfterSixty.com. Click through and sign up via email for the latest posts. Debbie Weil Founder & CEO, Voxie Media Big Ideas. Short Books.™ {Publishing and programs for up-and-coming business authors} email: debbie@voxiemedia.com mobile: 202.255.1467 land: 207.348.3022 voxiemedia.com facebook google+ linkedin @debbieweil Copyright © 2013 WordBiz.com, Inc., All rights reserved. You are receiving this message because you signed up to receive Voxie Media's e-newsletter, you signed up for a Webinar or other event with Debbie Weil or you are a rabid fan. Maybe all of the above? You may unsubscribe at any time. Our mailing address is: WordBiz.com, Inc. P.O. Box 786 Stonington, ME 20007 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list   update subscription preferences