Here’s the executive summary of the column- too many possibilities are a problem. It’s the paradox of choice. No choice is bad; too much choice is bad. Finding the sweet spot is the goal. When the purveyor doesn’t narrow it down for you (Starbucks claims there are more than 170,000 possible drink combinations available) you’re on your own. More is unnecessarily complicated… “tall venti grande double-pump, one to four shots of expresso, half-caf, oat milk, nonfat milk, soy milk, milk milk, whipped cream, syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, no sugar and mocha drizzle, from the pike position with two and a half twists.“ Phew.
It’s choice and customization versus the attendant complexity. But it’s not just Starbucks. It’s Levis. It’s mustards. It’s paint colors. It’s almost everything. And the internet feeds this complexity.
Faced with way too many options, a couple of things can happen. You go deep down the rabbit hole or you throw up your hands and say, “Whatever.” Neither of these is optimal. Since companies don’t have boundaries anymore, you’ll have to find the sweet spot on your own. It’s called enough.