ARE YOU A MAXIMISER OR A SATISFICER?
- oliviablaney
- Aug 15, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 24, 2023
Think of all the decisions you make each day. What to eat for breakfast, where to go on holiday, how to handle a tricky conversation, the next step to take on a project...etc. That's a lot of decisions. Sometimes you'll feel like putting off a decision to another day. And sometimes you find that you make a really bad decision at 7pm that you would never have made at 9am the same day.
Why?
Because that's the way the brain is wired. Effectively the brain has a decision making battery which depletes when its used. Studies have shown that the quality and speed of decisions gets worse over time, as more of the decision making battery is used up. You may also find that your decision-related behaviour changes as your battery gets used up- you might procrastinate more, become more impulsive, avoid decision-making entirely or become plagued with indecision. The brain needs time to replenish itself before it can make effective and timely decisions again.
So, how can you effectively manage your decision making battery?
1/ Consider what kind of decision maker you are
Based on the work for Herb Simon, there are two kinds of decisions - "maximising" decisions that require an exhaustive search of the environment for the best outcome, and "satisficing" decisions that require you just to search until you land on an option that is just good enough. Everyone has a default approach, and each has pros and cons.
Maximising decision makers are aiming to maximise the benefits while reducing the costs or risks. It can be linked to perfectionism and detail orientation. They often take a long time to decide because they want to make sure they've weighed up all the options and ensured that they have picked the best possible option.
Satisficing decision makers, named that way as its a combination of "suffice" and "satisfy" are making decisions that will just satisfy the needs and will suffice. They don't feel the need to find the optimal outcome, just one that will work. There is a minimum threshold which any option must meet, and once an option meets that level, that is the option that they go with. The benefits of this is that it makes decision making quick. The downside is that you won't be picking the optimal outcome, and if the threshold is set at the wrong place, then there is a chance you won't meet the overall objectives.
Deciding what to grab for lunch? That's likely to be better as a "satisficing" decision. Which person to hire into a critical role? That's likely to be a "maximising" decision. Evaluate which decisions are "maximising" decisions versus "satisficing" decisions, and ensure that you're not wasting energy on trying to maximise a decision when you can really set an acceptable threshold and go from that. Equally, make sure that you're not satisficing, only to have to go back to the same decision because you set your threshold too low to meet your requirements.
Is your default to be a maximiser or a satisficer?
0%Maximiser
0%Sacrificer
2. Prioritise your highest priority decisions for when your battery is at its fullest. This will ensure that your most important decisions have the most optimal outcomes. Identify those relatively inconsequential decisions that can be eliminated by setting up routines - for example, can you have a standard snack that you carry with you? Eliminating the smaller decisions helps ensure the bigger, more important ones, get the attention they deserve. If there's a big, high priority decision that needs to get made, consider scheduling a coaching session to help you make that call - at a time of day when you are likely to have a full battery.
3. Recharge your battery. Make sure you're looking after yourself. Sleep will revitalise your battery, as will naps. Make sure you're eating sufficient food, as energy levels are depleted by lack of food. Do things that make you feel energised - exercise, chatting to others etc.
4. Use the batteries of others. Ask others for help, to lessen the burden on you. Or get a coach, to use as a sounding board to help speed up the decision making process.
Research from McKinsey shows that 61% of managers feel that the decisions made each day are ineffective - given how many decisions you make on a daily basis, improving things even slightly could lead to a meaningful impact on how you and the people around you operate.
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