The Cost of Deferred Decisions

“Disorganization is a series of deferred decisions.” – Barbara Hemphill, Novelist

Those words are written on a post it note affixed to my monitor. I don’t remember when I first stumbled upon this tiny bit of wisdom but I knew I needed to keep it front and center.

When there is clutter in our environment - whether that’s in our physical space with a messy desk, or digitally with an overflowing inbox (guilty), or the mental clutter of incompletes, it can make it difficult to focus. Lack of focus can lead to inefficiencies, a failure to execute, and the dreaded sense of overwhelm.

Even the most organized leaders must manage the chaos of being pulled in a myriad of directions to navigate the complexities and every changing priorities of their work.  

What intrigues me is the connection of disorganization to decision-making.

Decision-making is ubiquitous. We make hundreds of decisions every day, often on autopilot. Sometimes we make the decision to not decide. We put off deciding what to do with that piece of paper, email, or task and it accumulates. We may even postpone making a decision without even realizing that’s what we have done.

Why do we defer decisions?

1.     The desire to get it (or do it) right. The fear of making a mistake – the wrong decision – can lead to postponement of addressing the issue. In this space we also tend to make it harder than it needs to be!

2.     Not knowing the next step. Lack of clarity is often a culprit for hesitation. It can be easier to defer than to linger in – or address – the unknown.

3.     A full plate. When we have a lot of demands on our time, it is easy to relegate nagging issues to the back burner.

4.     Lacking systems. When there isn’t a consistent way in which you process data or life’s demands, it can be messy. That can lead to both decision fatigue and anxiety that something is going to be dropped.

Ben Meer, The Systems Guy, and author of “How to Be Good at Life”, notes that most people don’t need more inspiration, they need better life infrastructure. He leverages systems thinking to solve recurring problems or leverage recurring opportunities. It’s a way of anticipating future needs and setting yourself up for success. Systems can be as simple or as complicated as you make them, but having something that serves as your framework for making decisions and taking actions can bring relief.

5.     The desire to maximize.

“In an age of information and choice abundance, we assume we can find the best of everything if we look long and hard enough. Psychologists call that tendency maximizing.” – David Epstein, The New York Times.

In the 1950s, the American Nobel Prize laureate Herbert Simon introduced the distinction between maximizing and satisficing: maximizing represents the search for the very best solution, whereas satisficing is the search of a satisfactory solution. Simon coined the term “satisficing” – a hybrid of satisfy and suffice – to describe the condition of considering a limited set of options, then choosing one that is good enough, and then moving on to live our lives.

Maximizers, in their quest for the best possible outcomes, often report lower happiness levels compared to “satisficers”, who are content with choices that essentially hit the mark. Maximizers tend to be less satisfied with their decisions, are typically more prone to regret, and more likely to compare themselves with others.

Satisficers don’t necessarily have low standards, they just have clarity about what is sufficient to meet their needs. This allows them to feel satisfied with their choices instead of being haunted by the ones they didn’t make.

The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who first used the term “flow” to describe states of complete absorption in an activity, reinforces this idea. By making up one’s mind to invest in a choice, regardless of more attractive options that may come along later, “a great deal of energy gets freed up for living, instead of being spent on wondering about how to live.”

Deferred Maintenance

When we postpone necessary repairs or upkeep of assets such as vehicles, buildings, or infrastructure due to limited resources or budgetary constraints, we know there will be a higher cost to incur down the road. When we choose not to make a decision, we may also pay a price for that inaction.  

Defining the Decision & Knowing Your Style

I would offer that we don’t always recognize a decision is what is needed. When we fail to define the decision in the moment, we may well miss an opportunity. Alternatively, when we name the decision that needs to be made, it brings focus to the problem to be solved. This helps clarify priorities and brings attention to addressing what is in front of you.

Your decision-making style impacts the culture of your organization. Deferred decisions such as slow responses to employee surveys, or decisions that get overturned higher up, can sow the seeds of frustration and weaken trust. Impulsive decisions, and decisions that lack insight from other voices, can create a chaotic environment with diminished buy-in.

Where are you deferring decisions and why?

Some decisions need more time, data, and dialogue. But the decisions that we are avoiding that don’t require “more”? Those are the places we can move from being a maximizer to a satisficer.

Strengthening your decision-making

Start by simply recognizing when you are deferring a decision. As you notice these moments, pay attention to their associated costs. Then, actively seek out decisions to make! Make these decisions through the lens of what matters most to you and from a place of empowerment. When we actively choose, we have more clarity and commitment.

Do the next thing. Even the smallest step can reduce the friction of over analysis. Decisions that have clear framing and disciplined follow through will build the kind of momentum that helps you move from feeling disorganized to being in the flow.

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