Book: Tyranny of Choice

“Clutter is Delayed Decisions.”
– Barbara Hemphill, Taming the Paper Tiger

Understanding our clients and being compassionate is part of the job.
And it’s often hard for many organizers to understand why it’s so difficult for our clients to make decisions.
There are so many factors including perfectionism and procrastination.
But what about the sheer volume of information and choices?

Barry Schwartz has written a book about The Tyranny of Choice – when too many choices paralyze us.
This article is a wonderful quick summary of his book.

Here are some points made in the article:

Shoppers who confront a display of 30 jams or varieties of gourmet chocolate are less likely to purchase any than when they encounter a display of six.
Students given 30 topics from which to choose to write an extra-credit essay are less likely to write one than those given six. And if they do write one, it tends to be of lower quality.
The more funds employers offer their employees in 401(k) retirement plans, the less likely the employees are to invest in any, even though in many cases, failing to do so costs them employer-matching funds of up to several thousand dollars a year.

The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less