Yesterday, I was walking to a restaurant with two of my friends. We stopped at a crossroad because we didn’t know whether we’d reach the restaurant faster by turning left or by turning right.
I had no idea, but my friends thought they did, so they spend two minutes arguing which way would be faster.
The thing is: We were talking about a time difference of one minute at most. Even choosing the wrong way would have been faster than spending two minutes arguing.
This is a classic example of how the costs of planning can outweigh the benefits.
One exception though: If we were to walk to this restaurant several times again in the future, taking the time to settle the issue once would be worth it.
Observe yourself: Do you sometimes spend too much time thinking a problem over, when either the result doesn’t really matter or you don’t have a chance of knowing the right action anyway? Sometimes, throwing a dice is the most efficient option.
Lucas Kleinschmitt
