Choice Overload & Creating Restraints

Finally returning to the new and exciting!

Many apologies for anyone who follows this blog. I know it has been many months since my last post. Essentially, I let work get in the way of this wonderful project, which has been tough on me since I really love working on projects, especially those that have a creative aspect to them, even if its small.

The trick that I am learning, is that I need to focus on working on more projects for myself than for work and other people. Not sure about other people, but many times I find it easier to work on projects for others, whether that is for friends, family, or work. Does anyone else have this issue? I'm extremely curious as to how others find ways to work on projects for themselves.

Too many choices. Too much time.

In these past months, I have also felt overwhelmed with the sheer volume of topics and directions available to cover in this wide universe. In looking back, school was so much easier to do because your teacher or professor would simply give you parameters for each assignment. Even the restrictions felt easier to figure out how to overcome than the massive availability of time, information, and options of what to talk about. Gone are the days of deadlines, restrictions, and approvals to obtain from others, which now I am learning to put upon myself.

In recent weeks, I have learned that the overwhelming feeling from a massive amount of options to choose from has many terms associated with the same feeling:

• analysis paralysis

• over choice

• choice overload

• choice paralysis

• paradox of choice

It can overtake people on seemingly small choices like choosing the flavors of a cup of coffee to larger choices like applying to jobs/making career choices. It is a neurological phenomena that never showed up until in recent generations and decades. In even the past 10 years, we have created more choices of so many things than we have ever had before.

Just try to look around you to see this.

How many stores are there to find a pair of jeans? How many pairs of jeans are in a single store? How many colors of jeans are there? How many cuts? How many other accessories are there to add to it? Look at TV: How many channels are there to watch? How many types of shows? How many streaming apps are available with an endless amount of shows to watch whenever we want to view something?

Don't forget the grocery store: How many loaves are bread are there in a single aisle? How many types of bread are there? How many companies now make bread?

These sets of questions can be applied to almost everything.

Limits. Limits. Limits.

The trick I am learning is figuring out to set limitations on yourself:

1. Give yourself a timetable with consequences. Positive or negative.

2. Set up a budget ahead of time to stick to.

3. Ask friends or family to check in to keep you accountable.

You will be surprised how creative constraints will make - look at independent films for some examples. Those projects usually do not have much budget which also affects their schedule. Think back to other projects you may have done where limitations like time and budget were applied.

Also, consider consequences to add - both positive and negative - to give yourself, depending on which you best respond to. Some people respond to negative consequences better like taking away a dessert or playing on a video game like Animal Crossing. Others respond to positive consequences better like treating yourself to something nice as a reward for completing a task. An example is a shopping trip to your favorite store if you are so inclined.

So overwhelming feelings, no matter how large or small, can affect anyone. The first step, is to accept that it is alright to feel overwhelmed whenever it happens. The next step, is to assess how you want to try to figure out how to work through it. The third step, is to try the steps that you decided for yourself. For me, I am going to start by giving myself a better timetable to manage and actively work toward. If I don't get it, my consequence is less Animal Crossing - it is one of my favorite games. Sticking to a small budget will also push me to be more creative with a more managed timetable.

Of course, I didn't forget to think about my support system of family and friends to keep me accountable on this.

Now I am curious: do you have a memories of projects where you had scheduling and budgeting restraints? How did you manage them? How did you feel when you accomplished them, even if they were not perfect.

I would love to read your stories in the comments.