I was reminded again recently of the maximisers and the satisficers concept, particularly in relation to a theme that’s a hot topic at the moment, including the free webinar I am doing on Wednesday: Overwhelm.
If you recall, the maximiser is the guy who goes out to buy a pair of jeans, finds a great pair that fit fabulously in the first shop, but just in case, goes to all of the other shops to make sure there aren’t any better pairs of jeans out there before he goes back and finally buys the pair in the first shop. The satisficer is the guy who goes into the first shop, tries on a great pair of jeans that are just what he is looking for and buys them.
I have a friend, a great friend. She’s an entrepreneur like me, and just like me, is always hungry to learn more. But she is a maximiser when it comes to learning. And I mean, she MAXES out on this stuff. If there is a new program, she is on it. A free training, she is there. A new networking event, she’s a part of it. And wow, its admirable.
However, for me, even just listening to her feels overwhelming. It’s so much! All of the time. And it’s just not my style. When it comes to learning, I am more of a satisficer. I prefer to decide what exactly I need to learn currently, and find the right training, the right networking or the right event for me. I like to take the time to do it right, at my pace, and to digest it fully.
And that’s a challenge at times! Because I love to be in the midst of whats hot right now. I hate missing out on things. Sometimes making the choice to forego a free training, or an awesome little program is tough, because I am afraid of missing out on the next best thing.
But I know in myself, that the risk of overwhelm from taking on too much is far greater than the chance that I may (or may not!) be missing out.
We are all different, with different learning styles and different capacities for processing new information. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the new and the cool that your colleagues and friends are all into. Knowing yourself well enough to decide what is right for you for now is the difficult challenge, but worth discovering in the long run.
When it comes to learning, would you say you are a maximiser or a satisfier?
I’d like to say I’m a satisficer but I do get very tempted by new shiny toys and the hot thing! In my ordinary life, as a busy mum, I am definitely a person who goes to the shops with a purpose, finds the thing and buys it. I have no patience for dilly dallying. And I can accept that I MIGHT find a better deal elsewhere or something just better but I’m okay with making a quick decision. In my business though I tend to get sidetracked. Lately though I have been sifting and being very selective. I have found one guru in each of the topics of interest to me and I am trying to stick with them and their teachings, filtering the rest. It’s hard though as everyone seems to have such cool ideas!
Oh that is a great idea Jacqui, in terms of your biz. There are so many out there, you have to wonder how much we actually take in if we are trying to follow and stay on top of it all!
“I hate missing out on things.”
That is me! But I also know that I just have to stop sometimes and admit I am not going to be rocking that party!
I hear ya Jo 🙂 It’s hard but sometimes it just has to be done