I stumbled on this article and found it useful if not just thought provoking. I’m a frequent over-analyzer and often stuck on finding the “perfect” choice. This article (and some general self discovery through life in the last couple of years) helped me refocus a bit on the reality that we can often burn too much mental energy on choices that could be better spent elsewhere, if not just saved altogether.
These are great recommendations. They also require changing what you do, which can be difficult (at least for me).
I try to use a simple framework (not mine):
Is this decision easily reversible?
- If yes, make it quickly and imperfectly.
- If no, take your time and invest in research and options.
And BTW, even in this market, most bicycle purchases are reversible 
. You might spend $100-$200, but that’s about 4% of a $5000 purchase - less than sales tax in many places.
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(internal dialog) hmm, should I click on that link? Maybe I should do that and search for other articles, maybe some world famous psychiatrist has a good blog post. Wait, I didn’t brush me teeth after lunch, maybe I should do that first… 
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Would say that I could have used that article before I bought my latest bike but supply constraints helped more than the article would have.
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I am on round two (in two years) of trying to talk myself into buying a new car.
Still not going to happen 
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Analysis paralysis is real. As they touch on, the consequences (large investment in the case of a car) is a worthy reason to take a bit of time for sure, IMO. I am similarly “shopping” loosely by keeping up with reviews and general research now, even though I don’t plan a purchase in the next 2 years. That and I just love cars so it’s as much of a hobby as future purchase research 
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Doesn’t help that there are too few cars out there that interest me (realistically, only one right now). But there is a shortage, mark ups, and salesman suck.
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For real. I am happy that I am in the general state I am right now… not actually shopping. The current climate for buying just plain sucks. I am hoping to wait it out, and buy if/when things are closer to pre-Pan inventory levels and such.
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Yup, I just had a horrible car dealer experience where they told us a possible trade in value and new vehicle price then came back with a trade-in that was $3k under the bottom of the range and a purchase price that was $6k over sticker. Then, when we decided to walk out, they had lost our keys and are now not answering our calls/emails about reimbursement for transportation and a locksmith.
I’d drive a rusty old clunk bucket before having to go through that again.
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My 7.3 Powerstroke has 300,000 miles. So, I am just past break in.
I hate all the electronics in cars. Only vehicles that excite me (at all) are pretty basic, and even one of them still has too many electronics.
Tempted to order that Jeep. Crank windows, manual transmission, no air conditioning, about as simple as I can get.
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Dude, I’d have called the cops. They didn’t lose your keys! They know where they are or three them out!!!
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Yeah, it’s only been a day or so so we’re still going up the chain to the owner and the manufacturer headquarters before involving cops or small claims or anything like that.
Definitely a hugely $h!tty situation though.
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I was driving by the sushi palace, and really wanted to stop but I told myself no. I had a running dialog with myself on whether I should stop, I was hungry after all, but the ‘sensible side’ overruled everything, and about 1,00 yards past the last opportunity to do sushi a huge rock came up and smashed my windshield.
What did I learn from that? I should eat more sushi! No, but I learned that I should probably have listened to that voice that said ‘SUSHI!!!’, and not worried about the PBJ fixings I had at home.
Who am I kidding, I should just get better car insurance (who charges for windshield repair? MY insurance company) But I ‘over thought’ that, and if I had just stopped, I would have saved a lot of angst and existential woe.
Take my last purchase. A 2019 Roubaix. I saw it on the website, I had to see it in person, I saw it, and BOUGHT IT! It has turned out awesome in almost every way. I saw the kickr bike. Had to have one. Bought it, and regretted it as it fell apart. The moral? Things don’t work out sometimes, and sometimes they do. Spending hours/days/weeks/months thinking about it won’t change any of that. If you can afford it, and it makes sense on some level, get it. Best case, when the asteroid slams into the planet, you have the bike/etc that you dreamed of. Worst case. Well, is there a worst case? Oh, it turns out to be a complete POS. Sell it, donate it, and move on. I used to be one to overthink things, and I am seriously realizing that the more I overthink things, the more I end up regretting my decision. (shrug) Over thinking isn’t going to make it better, it’s just going to make it harder to decide.
PLUS in a year, will it even matter? I still love the Roubaix, and regret the KB, but moved on and found something better. After doing some basic research, just buy the thing. Life’s short enough.
N+1, it’s the law!
As a fellow over-analyzer and indecisive person, I totally get where you’re coming from. It’s easy to get caught up in finding that ““perfect”” choice and end up burning ourselves out mentally. I’m glad you stumbled upon that article and found it helpful! In my own journey of self-discovery, I’ve learned that sometimes it’s okay to let go and trust in fate or the universe to guide us. There’s a certain freedom in surrendering control and allowing things to unfold naturally. And you know what? Sometimes I even use a dice roller to make decisions. It adds an element of randomness and takes the pressure off. If you ever find yourself in need of a dice roller, you can try flipsimu.com. It’s a digital tool that can make decision-making a bit more fun and spontaneous.
For some of us, though, the over-thinking and over-analysis is part of the fun in itself. The constant emphasis on avoiding ‘wasting’ time can often be overdone.
I realize that any decision I make is likely to turn out bad, and not making a decision is still making a decision, and if it doesn’t work out well, at least I know what I shouldn’t have done.
I’ve made a lot of ‘bad decisions’ that have actually turned out better than I thought.
And sometimes you just have to ‘wing it’… I chose an octopus appetizer at a restaurant out of town, and it ROCKED! I was on the fence on what to order, as all the other choices were things I’ve had (not there) before, so ‘wing it’, and wow, so worth it! Stepping out of the comfort zone isn’t always a disaster, and not making a decision is still making a decision…