Choices, Choices, Choices: Focus!

In the 1990s we began the Search for a Simpler Way, an ongoing study into the complexities and too many choices (some good, many stupid) that are imposed on all of us in the workplace. My first book, Simplicity, focused on my first-wave of recommendations for dealing with this.



In 2004, Barry Schwartz authored a great book, The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less, in which he detailed how too many choices hurts both the receiver (e.g., customer) and the sender (e.g., retailer).





Now comes another study by Szu-chi Huang of Stanford Business School.  Her findings add a nuance about different phases we enter when making choices. Early on in the decision process, a few more options help us. (e.g., Airline miles: Many ways to redeem them when initially signing up.) Later on, fewer options make things easier and are a bigger help. (e.g., The airline knowing the one or two things we want to redeem those miles for.) The hypothesis of her next study is that when you're in the middle of making those choices, your friends and community help to focus your choices.



What's all this research mean to you at work?



1. Your complex choices will only keep increasing. 

(Even when companies think they've solved this with strategic focus and technology and more... Everybody having access to you all the time [and visa versa] and the crazy-insane rate at which information is increasing within companies means more choices per hour for you than ever before. And it's only going to get worse!) 



2. Your ability to simplify and focus and cut through the clutter, day-in day-out, is hyper-crucial.



3. Your ability to make sense of things — super-fast — is one of your most crucial skills.



4. The future of work is going to force both companies and you to tailor a lot more tools and info-flows to your needs, so that you keep up with ever-increasing, more-complex choices. 

(See Work 2.0 report)



Bottom line: The people who keep increasing their ability to focus and simplify will survive and thrive. The people who don't: Dinosaur meat.