I am a big fan of planning. I’m the type of person, who if faced with errands at three different places, I will actually spend time considering which is the best, most efficient order for me to do them in. In fact, I have to bite my tongue with people who do not plan their time the same way. Because really? How important is it to design a route that minimizes left hand turns against traffic?
(I despise crossing against traffic. I don’t trust anyone to a) actually notice me and b) take appropriate action. People are too busy sneaking glances at their phones. And most people can’t drive anyway. /rant.)
I am also the type of person who isn’t really comfortable with choosing something without, mentally at least, exhausting all possible options. In Gretchen Rubin terms, this makes me a maximizer as opposed to a satisficer.
Fuck It Situation 1: Decision Trees from Hell
My business partner and I were talking about resource allocation yesterday, and it quickly became apparent we didn’t have enough information to make a decision. How did we know this? Because of all the if/then statements that kept popping up. If this happens, then we’ll do that; if this turns out to be the case, we’ll do that. At this point, all you can do is make an exhaustive list of all the things you need to find out to collapse some decisions on the decision tree. And then say, “Fuck it,” and quit wasting time chit-chatting and go find out what you need to know.
Fuck It Situation 2: There Is No Down Side
I call this the Pizza-or-Wings conundrum. As in, “What should I have, pizza, or wings?” Seriously, this calls for a “Fuck it.” Decide on impulse. The harder this is, the more you should do it. This is also the case in online shopping when you can’t decide between Product A or Product B. Fuck it. Order them both, then send back the one that didn’t work out. Don’t be wasting valuable brain power on this.
Fuck It Situation 3: It’s Not Your Problem
This is probably the most problematic of the bunch, because I, for one, react badly to drama and disharmony in my environment. I want to fix it because, damn it, all this drama is harshing my mellow. But you’ve got to ask yourself this crucial question: Can I fix this problem? This includes but is not limited to, are the other people involved amenable to solving this problem. It would seem obvious, but a lot of the time sometimes people are involved in drama because that’s the way they like things. Other times, the problem is just an effect of a fundamental aspect of who they are. You can’t fix it, and it isn’t your problem to fix anyway. So just say, “Fuck it,” and go about your business. Life’s too short, you know?
Your Turn:
What’s your rule of thumb for saying “Fuck it,” or when do you need to say it more often? Also, are you an maximizer or a satisficer?
