The Burden of Too Many Choices
You walk into a coffee shop, and the menu is overwhelming. Espresso, macchiato, cold brew, flat white, oat milk, almond milk, an extra shot, caramel drizzle, whipped cream—by the time you order, you’re not even sure you made the right choice.
That’s the paradox of modern life: the more choices we have, the less satisfied we are with each one.
It wasn’t always like this. Once upon a time, you bought whatever soap the store carried. You watched whatever was playing on TV. You married the girl next door. And while that world had its problems, people didn’t spend half their lives stuck in indecision.
Now, every decision is a minefield of regret.
You spend an hour scrolling Netflix and end up watching nothing. You draft five different texts before sending one you immediately second-guess. You switch jobs, switch hobbies, switch relationships, always wondering if you could have done better.
We think choice gives us freedom, but too much of it only gives us anxiety.
There’s a term for this: maximization. The belief that, given enough time and effort, we can make the absolute best choice. We research every purchase. We compare every option. We treat every decision like a high-stakes investment. But instead of finding the perfect answer, we drown in what-ifs.
And the irony? The guy who picks the first decent option—who just buys the coffee without overthinking it—is usually happier than the guy who analyzed every possibility.
Because satisfaction isn’t about having the best. It’s about believing you made the right choice.
So pick something. Stick with it. Stop torturing yourself over what could have been.
Because the real trap isn’t making the wrong choice.
It’s never being happy with the one you made.
Journaling Questions
When was the last time you felt paralyzed by too many choices?
Have you ever regretted a decision simply because you thought another option might have been better?
How much time do you spend researching small decisions (clothes, food, entertainment) vs. actually enjoying them?
What’s one area of life where you could simplify your decision-making process?
If you could only choose five things to focus on in life, what would they be?
