{"id":7877,"date":"2017-03-31T12:44:38","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T11:44:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marvel7077.wpengine.com\/?p=7877"},"modified":"2020-11-05T12:46:17","modified_gmt":"2020-11-05T12:46:17","slug":"fighting-decision-paralysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marvelapp.com\/blog\/fighting-decision-paralysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Fighting Decision Paralysis"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s common for designers and web developers to suffer from decision paralysis. You know you\u2019ve battled with it if you had problems like:<\/p>\n

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  1. Spending hours<\/strong> choosing the right typefaces<\/li>\n
  2. Obsessing<\/strong> over choosing the right framework<\/li>\n
  3. Scratching your head<\/strong> over what to learn next<\/li>\n
  4. Facing writer\u2019s block<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Do any of those sound familiar?<\/p>\n

    Decision paralysis has been the bane of my life so far. I battled against it again recently and I\u2019m happy to say I finally got out of the rut (today!).<\/p>\n

    In this article, I\u2019d love to share my experiences with you and how I handle decision paralysis.<\/p>\n

    Decision paralysis can surface anywhere<\/h2>\n

    For me, it appears in areas that I deem important. One of these areas is work.<\/p>\n

    It can show up when I\u2019m designing. If it does, I\u2019ll find myself going back and forth about color, whitespace, typeface choices, font-sizes and almost every aspect of design that I can think of. Sometimes, I\u2019d even create multiple logos and reject them all!<\/p>\n

    It can also appear when I\u2019m coding. If it does, I\u2019ll change my naming conventions, code architecture and function names numerous times, and I\u2019d end up with a messy codebase that contains everything I conceived. Sometimes, I\u2019d even spend hours (or weeks) diving into rabbit holes to find the best practice for whatever I happen to work on.<\/p>\n

    \"Want an example? I went searching for best practices for JavaScript promises and Mongo Database architecture just two weeks ago. None of these were immediately important for my code. But I spent precious time, which delayed the release of my project.\u00af\\_(\"\/)_\/\u00af\"<\/span><\/p>\n

    Decision paralysis hits me the hardest when I\u2019m producing content for others (like the article you\u2019re reading). It\u2019s even worse when I create books and courses for sale.<\/p>\n

    Sometimes, it gets so bad that I don\u2019t only procrastinate. I flee from the work altogether. I\u2019d come up with all sorts of excuses to stop myself from working (while hoping the work gets done by itself).<\/p>\n

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    \"Sometimes, it gets so bad that I don\u2019t only procrastinate. I flee from the work altogether.\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

    (I wrote an article on beating procrastination<\/a> previously, if you\u2019re interested)<\/p>\n

    I\u2019m in the midst of getting ready to launch a responsive typography course, and I had problems deciding what\u2019s the best articles to send you while during the launch. (It\u2019s so lame, but it happens.)<\/p>\n

    Causes of decision paralysis<\/h2>\n

    I\u2019ve observed that my decision paralysis stems from five elements<\/em> over the years.<\/p>\n

    First: I have an unreasonably high standard<\/strong>. To be honest, I don\u2019t even consciously know what this standard is. I\u2019ve never been completely satisfied with any work that I\u2019ve done. Something is always wrong. Something is always missing. And it fed my desire to seek the best possible design<\/a>, code and copy.<\/p>\n

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    \"Something is always wrong. Something is always missing.\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

    Second: I\u2019m plagued by incessant self-doubt<\/strong>. I\u2019d question all my decisions over and over again, wondering if they\u2019re right. Since it\u2019s impossible to know if I made the right choice every single time, I sometimes get stuck asking myself the same questions over and over, afraid to make a decision.<\/p>\n

    Third: I take results personally<\/strong>. I\u2019m constantly worried about my results. This, coupled with an unreasonably high standard, is a surefire fail to fail (horribly). I hate it when I fail.<\/p>\n

    Fourth: I\u2019m afraid of failing<\/strong>. What would it mean if others say my work sucks? Do I suck? Am I good enough to make anything for anyone? Am I worthy enough to continue living on this earth? (I can\u2019t help it, I have dark thoughts).<\/p>\n

    Fifth: I\u2019m afraid of succeeding<\/strong>. Deep down, I don\u2019t think about succeeding. I don\u2019t know what success looks like, and I don\u2019t want to think about what happens next. Will I need to make harder decisions? What if I can\u2019t cope? Will I be able to pull off another success? What if I don\u2019t? You can already see how my self-doubt comes into play ?.<\/p>\n

    These five elements cause my decision paralysis. I don\u2019t know about you, but yours may be similar to mine. Yours might be different as well. It\u2019s best you take some time no examine yourself.<\/p>\n

    Now, knowing the causes of my decision paralysis, I can take some steps to fight against it.<\/p>\n

    Fighting against decision paralysis<\/h2>\n

    First, I understand that I\u2019m afraid of both failure and success. With this in mind, in makes sense for me to begin all projects by setting expectations upfront<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Some questions I\u2019d ask myself are:<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

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    1. \n
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      1. What does success mean?<\/li>\n
      2. What does failure mean?<\/li>\n
      3. How do I measure if I have failed or succeeded?<\/li>\n
      4. What\u2019s next if I succeed?<\/li>\n
      5. What\u2019s next if I fail?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        <\/p>\n

        These questions free me from thinking about success or failure in the midst of the project (when I\u2019m most vulnerable). It also frees me from taking results personally since I\u2019d make sure I measure success or failure with a good measuring stick.<\/p>\n

        Next, I also know that I have an unreasonably high standard which I\u2019m incapable of meeting (always). So, I aim to produce work that\u2019s good enough instead of epic<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

        At this point, I define work to be good enough if it:<\/p>\n