John was frustrated. He had been sitting at the kitchen table for more than an hour, trying to figure out which tractor to buy. His 20-year-old one was starting to cost too much in repairs.
He had gathered a lot of data on new tractors and had come up with a list of three models, each with desirable features and some costly options that he didn’t need. He felt as though he had analysis paralysis. With seeding season imminent, he had to make a decision.
It was time to put his unconscious mind to work.
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Recent research at the University of Amsterdam says if you have a big decision to make, it is better to gather all the data and then forget about it. Your unconscious mind will sort things out and make a better decision than you can through careful deliberation.
My own experience suggests this is true. When I was working in television news, I was often up against tight deadlines and sometimes I just couldn’t get my story to come together. The tighter the deadline, the harder it was to get the story onto paper.
Eventually I learned to take a break, no matter how tight the deadline. When I got back to my desk the story would flow.
It is said the conscious mind works logically with one thought following another; the unconscious works holistically, seeing the big picture all at once. That is why the unconscious can work faster, with more data, and come up with a better decision.
If you have a simple choice to make such as what kind of baler twine to buy, and there are only a couple of features to consider, your conscious mind can do the best job. But if there are a lot of complicating factors, it is better to turn it over to the unconscious.
The researchers at Amsterdam discovered this through tests they did with students. They divided the students into two groups and showed them pictures of four cars, along with a list of positive and negative attributes for each car, for eight seconds each.
In the first test, each car had a list of just four attributes, some positive (good mileage) and some negative (poor leg room). One car was clearly better than the other three.
The students were given four minutes to make a decision about which was the best car. But half of the students were given word puzzles to keep their conscious minds occupied during those four minutes, so they didn’t have time to figure out which car was best.
The students that did have time to think did better in this case.
But in the next test, each car had a list of 12 attributes, again with one car having more positive and fewer negative features than the other three. Again the students were given four minutes to mull over which was the best choice. This time, the students who were preoccupied with puzzles did better, with half naming the best car. Only a third of those who had time to think about it came up with the right answer.
I am sure you have faced tough decisions and had a gut feeling about which was right, even though your conscious mind said no.
And maybe you went with your conscious mind, and later wished you had listened to your gut. That gut feeling was your unconscious mind seeing a big picture that your conscious mind couldn’t get its head around.
In the end, John slept on his decision, and the next day he just knew which was the best model to buy. He said he is still happy with
his decision.
Edmonton-based Noel McNaughton is a sponsored speaker with the Canadian Farm Business Management Council. He can be reached at 780-432-5492, e-mail:farm@midlife-men.com or visit www.midlife-men.com.
