Maximising feels responsible: compare every school, every neighbourhood, every job posting. In reality, after a point, extra comparison mostly increases regret and delays action without improving expected outcomes. Satisficing — setting a quality bar and choosing the first option that clears it — is not laziness; it is respect for finite attention.
Where maximising pays off
High-stakes, low-frequency, information-rich domains reward deeper search: cancer treatment centres, custody agreements, founding equity splits. Here the cost of a mistake dwarfs the cost of another week of diligence.
Where satisficing usually wins
- Choosing among five good rental flats when any would work for a year.
- Picking a gym, a dentist, or a therapist from a vetted shortlist — fit matters, but perfection is noise.
- Selecting a wedding venue once basic constraints are met — additional tours rarely change happiness a year later.
A practical stop rule
Before you research, define: minimum acceptable outcome, maximum time budget, maximum number of alternatives you will seriously entertain. When you hit any limit, you decide from the set in front of you. If that feels cruel, notice that the alternative is often to decide from exhaustion instead of criteria.
“The goal is not the perfect choice. The goal is a choice you can live with that was made with open eyes.”
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