Good enough is a strategy
Aiming for "good enough" can lead to better outcomes for your well-being than always hunting for the best option. In a 2006 study of graduating college students, Sheena Iyengar, Rachael Wells, and Barry Schwartz found that "maximizers," who tried to find the very best job, landed starting salaries about 20% higher than "satisficers," but felt worse about their choices and the whole process. For most business decisions, good enough is faster and easier to live with.
Do you know someone who reads 47 reviews before buying a toaster? Maybe you are that someone.
I see this all the time in business owners. They'll spend three weeks comparing scheduling apps. They'll rewrite the sales page nine times. They'll interview eleven web designers. And they'll still feel unsure when they finally pick one.
Psychologists have a name for this: maximizing.
Maximizers vs. satisficers
Barry Schwartz and his colleagues describe two styles of making decisions.
Maximizers want the best possible option. They compare everything. They keep looking even after they find something good, just in case there's something better.
Satisficers have a bar. Once something clears the bar, they pick it and move on.
Neither one has lower standards, necessarily. Satisficers can have very high bars. The difference is that once the bar is met, they stop looking.
What the research found
In 2006, Sheena Iyengar, Rachael Wells, and Barry Schwartz followed graduating college students through their job search.
The maximizers did better on paper. Their starting salaries were about 20% higher.
But they felt worse. They were less satisfied with the jobs they took. They felt more pessimistic, more stressed, more anxious, and more overwhelmed during the search. They did better and felt worse.
That's the maximizer trap. Even when you win, it doesn't feel like winning, because you're still wondering about the option you didn't pick.
What does this costs your business?
Maximizing doesn't just cost you peace of mind. It costs you time, and in business, time is momentum.
Three weeks comparing apps is three weeks of not using one. Nine drafts of a sales page is a launch that keeps slipping. And the more options you look at, the harder it is to choose at all, which I wrote about in Too many options is why you're stuck.
How to satisfice on purpose
Set your bar before you start looking. Write down three must-haves. "Under $50 a month, works with Notion, has a mobile app." First option that clears the bar wins.
Set a deadline for the decision. "I'll pick a web designer by Friday." When Friday comes, choose from what you have.
Cap your options. Look at three. Not twelve.
Save maximizing for the big stuff. Your first hire, a big contract, a major investment. Fine, take your time. Your email platform? Pick one.
Stop looking once you've decided. No more browsing. No more "just checking." That's how you start second-guessing.
What it looks like
A client of mine had been "almost done" with her website for four months. Every time we talked, she'd found something else to tweak.
I asked her, "What would good enough look like?" She listed four things. Three of them were already done.
She launched that week. She's changed exactly one thing since then.
The last stretch of a project is where maximizing loves to hide. It's part of why the last 10% feels so hard.
The bottom line
Good enough isn't settling. It's a decision about where your time and energy are worth spending. Save "the best" for the few decisions that really need it. For everything else, clear the bar and keep moving.
If you want someone to help you make decisions and move forward instead of going in circles, here's how I coach.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a maximizer and a satisficer?
A maximizer tries to find the best possible option and keeps comparing. A satisficer sets a standard and picks the first option that meets it.
Are maximizers more successful?
Sometimes on paper. In a 2006 study, maximizers got starting salaries about 20% higher than satisficers but felt less satisfied and more stressed about their job search.
How do I stop overthinking decisions?
Set your must-haves before you start, give yourself a deadline, limit the number of options you compare, and stop looking once you decide.
Sources: Iyengar, S. S., Wells, R. E., & Schwartz, B. (2006). Doing better but feeling worse: Looking for the "best" job undermines satisfaction. Psychological Science, 17(2), 143–150.
