Why the indecision?

[JimJambones]

Why does it take me hours in a book store to settle on a book to buy or equally as long in a clothing store to buy clothes? If I've settle on a brand of jeans I will just buy the same pair when the old needs replacing, but if the store no longer carries it I will spend an inordinate amount of time looking for a suitable replacement. When it comes to books, if I had enough money I would buy every book that interests me, but since I don't I'm nearly incapacitated on which one to buy. What gives?

 

[own8ge]

An avarage visit to the supermarket takes me about 20 minutes in which I have finally bought nothing more than just 1 energy drink. Why the indecision? Perspective. In any decision comes the preference of value, which is being called perspective. In the supermarket... You have the perspective of taste. Which taste will I prefer? You have the perspective of price. How much do I want to spend? You have the perspective of future. What will be beneficial accounting X? Etc. Perspectives that account for all the choises that are available to you. What to choose, if anything, will make the impact on your life which you can't undo. So you better choose wisely. 1 silly choise, will define the future of your life; and you know it.

 

[jie2]

I definitely have difficulty coming to most decisions, due to over-analyzing the factors. The list of pros and cons ends up growing larger and larger, resulting in a lot of back and forth. This results in spending tons of time trying to decide, or skipping right to an impulsive ‘close my eyes and point’ method (which just happened yesterday at a book store, because they were closing). In each case, I rarely feel good/settled about a decision.


I very much relate to this quote:
“research by neurologist Antonio Damasio (see his book Descartes’ Error) has shown that when the emotional brain centers are disconnected from the rational processing centers (through surgery or brain damage), patients are unable to make decisions” –The Language of Emotions


The book tries to explain that when the factors (+/-) involved in making a decision are too close, emotions will help break the tie. Combine the detached analytical Ti with an overwhelming/ever-increasing number of factors (thank the Ne), and you have the perfect recipe for indecision.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

Why does it take me hours in a book store to settle on a book to buy or equally as long in a clothing store to buy clothes? If I've settle on a brand of jeans I will just buy the same pair when the old needs replacing, but if the store no longer carries it I will spend an inordinate amount of time looking for a suitable replacement. When it comes to books, if I had enough money I would buy every book that interests me, but since I don't I'm nearly incapacitated on which one to buy. What gives?

Exactly that.
Back in the good old days, there were only a handful of choices.
Nowadays, there's a different nuance in consumer products for everyone.
In your example, garment, there are a lot of delicate sub-decisions to make.
What kind of fabric is it? How does the fabric end up in my attire?
Is it environmentally sound? How long will it last? Etc. etc.
Most people don't ask these questions, because they are accustomed to throwing away and consuming anew.
So, there's an income and a bit of a generational gap there.
No need to be ashamed or worried about that.
"I want the best quality i can afford" is the ultima ratio.

When it comes to books, i feel exactly the same.
I have to make tough decisions, but rather than be ashamed and embarrassed,
embrace yourself because you have made the best choice according to your needs and means.

Time is money and vice versa.

Unfortunately.​

 

[EditorOne]

1. Overanalysis
2. Extreme reluctance to make a judgment

I've overcome both with carefully cultivated and selective impatience. Does this mean I come home with a crappy brand of coffee that cost more than it should? Yes.

Does this mean I spend less time in a vast building with hard floors that hurt my decrepit knees and less time around people who really don't care that at 300 pounds and with a cart full of mops they are blocking everyone from progressing down an aisle while they ponder the differences between chocolate donuts and sugar donuts? Yes.

I think I've worked it out simply by realizing that the consequences of a bad choice over a $10 purchase don't matter. I save the analysis and thoughtfulness for buying cars and houses.