Choice

So what do you want to do when you retire? What activities, projects, inactivities, work, passions will you throw yourself into? The choice is yours; but your list may be long, which could be a problem.

Psychologists have generated a vast literature on choice. A surprising piece of that work is the concept of “choice overload”. I hear you say what can that be; surely having more options to choose from is better than fewer, after all aren’t we good at deliberating and choosing?

Well, I have read about an experiment in which shoppers in a shop are offered 6 jams to choose from. Then at a later date, they get offered 24 jams. 24 is bigger than 6, that is good for choice right? However whereas shoppers readily purchased when 6 jams were on offer, hardly anyone purchased with 24 on offer. Choice overload.

In other words, excessive choice, whilst initially appealing, may end up demotivating the purchaser.

What is the answer to this dilemma when applied to those choices in retirement mentioned in the first paragraph? Limit the number of your choices. Experiment with your choices; and if you fail with one then try another.

Retirement: You won’t know what it is like until you get there.