Satisficing is a simple mindset shift that can make habit change less overwhelming. It’s an efficient decision-making technique that allows us to quickly get started without having all the answers figured out.
If you’re trying to establish new wellness habits, consider satisficing your new best friend. Never heard of it? Let me introduce you!
What is satisficing?
Satisfy + Suffice = Satisfice
Think of satisficing as the perfect vocabulary baby. It consists of equal parts satisfy and equal parts suffice. Below are the simple definitions to get us started:[1]
| TERM | DEFINITION |
| Satisfy | To meet our needs, desires, demands and/or expectations |
| Suffice | To be adequate or enough |
| Satisfice | To choose a satisfactory option |
When we make satisficing decisions, we choose an obvious option that appears to adequately meet most of our needs. This is in contrast with a maximized decision that will perfectly meet all of our needs. Maximizing is more time consuming and stress-inducing than satisficing. In addition, maximizing is more likely to lead to procrastination and perfectionism.
Decisions made with a satisficing mindset are quick, actionable, and allow for course corrections as needed. This is in stark contrast to decisions made with a maximizing mindset, which are often delayed as an ideal, perfect solution is discovered.
Where does the idea of satisficing come from?
Satisficing was first introduced in the late 1940’s by Herbert A. Simon, a Nobel prize winning social scientist who contributed to economic, political, and management theories.[2] Simon studied the way decisions are made within organizations, shifting the focus from the search for a single, profit-maximizing solution.
He recognized that multiple factors affect decisions, and therefore multiple solutions to a given problem exist. Instead of spending considerable resources searching for a single, perfect solution, decision makers can find and implement an acceptable decision. A satisficing solution may not be perfect, but it’s an efficient way to get good results.
What does satisficing have to do with wellness habits?
If we think we need a perfect solution to improve our health and wellness, it can feel overwhelming to get started with habit change. For example, let’s imagine my goal is to exercise more.
One alternative is to exhaustively seek out the best workout plan, reading multiple expert opinions, researching a new app with all the answers, learning new techniques, and spending considerable energy trying to figure out the “right” way to achieve my goal.
This decision is stressful, time-consuming, and if the plan doesn’t work out, will feel like a failure. It’s more likely to lead to procrastination and feelings of helplessness.
On the other hand, what if I approach my goal with more flexibility? Instead of requiring a perfect solution before I get started, I can start with a small step in the right direction. I set a goal to exercise three days in the next week. I don’t have to commit to a specific program, and I can change the workout as I find what works best.
This decision is easy, flexible enough that I can accomplish it, and requires little resources to start. It gives me the grace to try something new without the pressure of having everything figured out. Best of all, I can start now.
A Wellness Mindset Shift
In this regard, satisficing is a useful mindset shift when establishing wellness habits.
Satisficing is a shift away FROM paralyzing, perfectionistic thoughts like:
- The perfect wellness solution is out there, and I need to find it.
- That won’t be good enough.
- I can’t change my habits until I figure it all out.
- I need an expert, app, or external solution to tell me the one right way to do this.
Satisficing is a shift TO mobilizing, accepting thoughts like:
- Making one small improvement to my health now is better than waiting to figure it out.
- I don’t need to obsess about getting a new habit right before I get started.
- I can adapt as I get more information or learn from my experience.
- I have a good enough answer within me already.
Satisficing goes beyond the decision of what goal to start. Adopting it as a mindset as we work on wellness goals provides a more compassionate lens through which to view all of our wellness change efforts. It ensures we are reasonable in our expectations and self-evaluations as the process unfolds.
Instead of asking ourselves, “Am I doing this perfectly?” we ask ourselves, “Am I making progress?” There will be times when our efforts aren’t optimal, but they will do. The change we attempt may not be perfect, but it’s enough for now. It’s important to recognize any effort as progress.
When we plateau or have setbacks, which will inevitably happen, we can use satisficing to keep us motivated. If we expect perfection or maximized results at all times a single missed workout, one unhealthy meal, or a missed meditation session can be enough to derail months of change effort.
Instead of losing momentum with an all-or-nothing mentality, we can acknowledge a setback isn’t optimal, but it’s acceptable. Satisficing allows for progress over perfection.
How To Use Satisficing Today
Instead of procrastinating a habit change you’ve been contemplating, get started by taking a single step today. Make a small effort in the right direction.
If you’ve been working on improving your health and wellness, take a minute to evaluate where you are now versus where you started. Use the lens of satisficing to make your evaluations. In what ways, no matter how imperfect, have you met your needs?
Changing habits doesn’t have to feel so overwhelming. Satisficing is one way to make life easier. Give it a try this week and let me know how it goes!
[1] https://www.dictionary.com/
[2] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herbert-A-Simon
