What Are We Solving For?

DECIDE

Make better decisions without solving problems that don’t exist yet.

We don’t always struggle with decisions because we lack information. Sometimes we struggle because we’re trying to solve today's decision, tomorrow’s consequences and five hypothetical problems at the same time.

I’ve learned to start somewhere simpler:

What am I actually solving for?

The Problem

Sometimes the decision isn’t complicated. We’ve made it complicated.

Job decisions. Buying a house. Evaluating a business. Choosing where to travel. Deciding what deserves your time.

We jump decisions ahead.

For example: “If I take this job, what happens if I want to move three years from now? What if I eventually have children? What if another opportunity comes along? What if…”

Some future implications deserve consideration.

But not every hypothetical future problem deserves equal weight in today’s decision.

Solve today's problem first.

Future decision deserve awareness - not control.
Know what matters before comparing options.

You can’t evaluate choices until you know what you’re optimizing for.
Deciding has a cost.

At some point, another hour of analysis costs more than what it produces.