Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Author Barry Schwartz says "good enough is good enough"

I haven't read his book, but in this interview Barry Schwartz (author of The Paradox of Choice), when asked what can customers do to avoid the paradox of choice, replies:
Most importantly, learn that "good enough is good enough." It's what I call "satisficing" in the book. You don't need the best; probably never do. On rare occasions it's worth struggling to find the best. But generally it makes life simpler if you settle with "good enough." You don't have to make an exhaustive search - just until you find something that meets your standards, which could be high. But the only way to find the absolute best is to look at ALL the possibilities. And in that case you'll either give up, or if you choose one, you'll be nagged by the possibility that you may have found something better.