Why Too Many Choices Can Hijack Your Decision-Making (And What to Do About It)
You sit down to make a decision - and instead of feeling confident, you feel… stuck.
Not because you’re lazy. Or indecisive.
But because you care - and you care enough to want to get it right.
This moment - where caring turns into paralysis - is far more common than we think. Especially for managers, leaders, and ambitious humans trying to make smart, thoughtful calls in work and life.
So if you've ever found yourself:
Delaying a choice that feels important
Revisiting a decision for the 12th time
Or saying “maybe later” when you know it actually needs action now…
You're not broken. You’re human.
And what you’re experiencing has a name:
The Paradox of Choice.
The More Options We Have, the Harder It Gets
A classic study (Iyengar & Lepper, 2000) found that shoppers faced with a table of 24 jam flavours were far less likely to make a purchase than those faced with only six. The bigger display drew more attention - but only 3% bought. Meanwhile, 30% of those browsing the smaller selection walked away with jam in hand.
Why? Because too many options overloads the brain. What starts as curiousity quickly turns into decision fatigue.
More recent research backs this up: when we’re already under pressure - mentally loaded, emotionally taxed, or plain tired — we tend to avoid decisions altogether (Sullivan-Toole et al., 2019). We default to the safe, the known, the "I'll do it later" response.
In leadership, this can look like:
Sitting on a recruitment decision for too long
Over-analysing strategic options
Failing to delegate even when you know you should
Avoiding a tough conversation that needs to happen
The cost? Delays. Second-guessing. Missed opportunities. And often, a whole lot of mental noise.
Five Simple Strategies to Beat Decision Overload
The goal isn’t to make every decision perfectly. It is to make decisions well - with enough clarity and calm to keep moving forward.
Here are five practical strategies I often share with coaching clients when they’re feeling overwhelmed:
1. Set a time limit for “option review”
Give yourself a boundary. That might be 30 minutes, one day, or one week depending on the decision. But once that time’s up, shift from researching to choosing. It creates momentum and prevents endless circling.
2. Decide your must-haves before diving in
Whether it’s values, outcomes, budget, or impact — get clear on what matters most before you start comparing options. This filters out noise fast and gives you an internal compass when the external options feel like chaos.
3. Reduce the field to three
Force yourself to narrow your options to the top three. Not ten. Not five. Three. Our brains make clearer comparisons when we limit the mental field. You’re not ignoring the rest - you’re just zooming in where it counts.
4. Talk it out with someone neutral
Sometimes, clarity comes not from more information, but from hearing yourself think out loud. A colleague, peer, coach or even a trusted friend can be a sounding board — not to tell you what to do, but to help you hear your own thinking more clearly.
5. Don’t fear “good enough”
Some decisions truly are high-stakes. But many? Aren’t.
If the cost of delay is higher than the risk of a minor misstep, progress usually beats perfection. Choose what’s good enough and make it work.
Final Thought: Keep Moving Forward
Leadership — and life — are full of complex calls.
But complexity doesn’t need to mean paralysis.
Instead of waiting for the perfect decision, try aiming for a clear enough decision. One that aligns with your values, honours your priorities, and helps you keep moving forward — with a little less noise in your head.
Need a sounding board?
Decision fatigue shows up in all sorts of ways, and it often helps to have someone outside the swirl. If you’re navigating a high-stakes decision -or just stuck in one too many tabs - leadership coaching might help.
Let’s chat.