You're probably familiar with FOMO.

你一定聽過「錯失恐懼症」 (FOMO) 這個詞語。

That's short for "Fear Of Missing Out."

FOMO 即為「錯失恐懼症」的縮寫。

It's that feeling you get when it seems like everyone else is doing something better than what you're doing right now.

你會有種感覺其他人在做的事，看上去都比你做的厲害。

But there's another FO you need to know about, and it's far more dangerous.

可是其實還有另一個以 FO 開頭的恐懼症，比 FOMO 更加危險。

It's called FOBO, and it's short for "fear of a better option."

它叫做 FOBO，即「最佳選擇恐懼症」。

[TED: The way we work.]

[TED：我們運作的方式]

[Made possible with the support of Dropbox.]

[Dropbox 贊助]

We live in a world of overwhelming choice.

我們活在一個到處都有重大抉擇的世界。

Even decisions that used to be simple, like choosing a restaurant or making everyday purchases, are now fraught with overanalysis.

甚至有些在過去很簡單的選擇，比如說去哪吃飯或買什麼東西，可是現在連這些選擇都得仔細斟酌。

Technology has only made the issue more pronounced.

而科技只是讓這一切變得更為明顯。

If you want to buy a pair of white shoelaces online, you have to sort through thousands of items and read through hundreds of reviews.

如果你想要網購兩根白色鞋帶，你就得在幾千個白色鞋帶的選項中做出選擇，還得翻看上百條買家評論。

That's an astounding amount of information to process to just buy two pieces of string that cost less than your morning latte.

這訊息量大得令人震驚，而這一切只是為了比一杯拿鐵還便宜的兩根繩子。

Chances are you've experienced FOBO when you've struggled to choose just one from a group of perfectly acceptable outcomes.

當你面對若干個完全可行的選項時，若你為選擇最佳方案而苦苦糾結，那 FOBO 可能已經找上門了。

It's a symptom of a culture which sees value in collecting and preserving as many options as possible.

如果一種文化鼓勵人們擁有並保留盡可能多的選擇，這種文化就會催生 FOBO。

You might wonder why all of this is so bad.

你可能會覺得這有什麼不好的。

It seems counterintuitive.

這似乎有違常理。

Shouldn't it be a privilege to have so many good options to choose from?

能從這麼多好的選擇中作出決定，不是一件好事嗎？

The problem is, FOBO induces such severe analysis paralysis that it can negatively impact both your personal and your professional life.

問題在於 FOBO 會讓你過度認真思考問題，這種過度認真會對你的生活和工作帶來負面影響。

When you can't make decisions with conviction, you waste precious time and energy.

你的猶豫不決會浪費你寶貴的時間和精力。

Luckily, there is a way to overcome FOBO.

幸好 FOBO 是可以克服的。

Here's a secret.

秘訣如下。

With any decision you make, you first have to determine the stakes, as this will inform your decision-making strategy.

在做出每個決定前，你都要決定該選項的風險大小，這樣也能制定抉擇策略。

When it comes down to it, you only really face three types of decisions in life: high stakes, low stakes, and no stakes.

確定風險之後，剩下只有三種決定：高風險、低風險和無風險。

Let's start with no-stakes decisions.

我們先來看看無風險選項。

These are the minor details of life, where there is almost never an incorrect answer, and in a few hours, you won't even remember making the decision in the first place.

生活中有些細節永遠沒有正確答案，幾個小時之後你甚至不會記得你做出了這個決定。

A good example of this is choosing what to watch on TV.

對電視節目的選擇就是很好的例子。

With thousands of shows, it's easy to get overwhelmed, yet no matter what you pick, the consequences are basically nonexistent.

成千上萬種電視節目選項讓你迷失其中，但不管你選擇哪個節目都不會有什麼後果。

So spending more than a few moments on FOBO is a massive waste of energy.

所以在這種問題上花太多時間就是精力相當大的浪費。

You just need to move on.

你只需要做個決定就好，不用糾結其中。

When it comes to no-stakes decisions, the key is to outsource them to the universe.

在做無風險決定時，關鍵在於聽天由命。

For example, you can whittle down your choices to just two and then flip a coin.

好比說，你可以將結果精簡化一分為二，然後擲硬幣來決定。

Or try my personal favorite, ask the watch.

或試試我最喜歡的方法，問手錶。

Assign each one of your choices to one half of your watch, then let the second hand tell you what you're going to do.

將你的選擇分配到手錶的兩個半面，秒針走到哪個半面就選擇哪個選項。

Looks like I'll be having the fish.

看樣子我是要吃魚了。

That brings us to low-stakes decisions.

現在來看看低風險選項。

These have consequences, but none are earth-shattering, and there are plenty of acceptable outcomes.

這些決定有附帶的後果，但並不嚴重，且這些選項的結果大多可以為人接受。

Many routine things at work, like purchasing a printer, booking a hotel or choosing between possible venues for an off-site are classically low-stakes in nature.

很多生活中的日常，比如買哪種印表機、訂哪個飯店、去哪裡出差，這些在本質上都是低風險的決定。

Some thinking is required, but these aren't make-or-break deliberations, and you'll probably have forgotten about them in a few weeks.

這些決定需要作出思考，但就算做錯有沒有什麼大不了，你過幾週有可能就會忘記這件事情。

Here, you can also outsource decision-making—but you want some critical thinking involved, as there are some stakes.

你也可以再試一次「聽天由命法」，但畢竟還是有決策風險，你還是會想要仔細思考一番。

This time, you'll outsource to a person.

這一次，你可以交由其他人幫你做決定。

Set some basic criteria, select someone to present a recommendation, and then take their advice.

先設下一些基本的標準，請他人提出建議，並聽從這些建議。

Make sure to avoid the temptation to canvass.

不要去遊說他人。

Your goal is to clear your plate, not to kick the can down the road.

你的目的是解決問題，不是製造問題。

Now that you tackled low-stakes and no-stakes decisions, you've created the space and time you'll need to handle high-stakes decisions.

現在你已經解決無風險和低風險的抉擇了，你已經把時間和空間都騰給高風險抉擇了。

These are things like "Which house should I buy?" or "Which job should I accept?"

高風險抉擇例如「在哪裡置產？」或「去哪裡工作？」之類的問題。

Since the stakes are high and there are long-term implications, you absolutely want to get it right.

因為風險高，意味著這個決定對你有深遠的影響，所以你一定會想要做出正確的決定。

Before we get to work, let's establish a few basic principles to guide you through the process.

在開始做決定之前，我們先設立基本原則來幫助你做決定。

First, think about what really matters to you, and set your criteria accordingly.

第一，想想對你而言最重要的是什麼，並依此設立標準。

Second, gather the relevant facts.

第二，收集相關事實。

Make sure you collect data about all of the options, so you can be confident that you're truly making an informed decision.

確保你自己熟知所有選擇，這樣你就有基於事實做出決定的自信。

And third, remember that FOBO, by nature, comes when you struggle to choose just one from a group of perfectly acceptable options.

第三，記住 FOBO 會在你面對好幾個可行的選擇，並必須選擇一個時才會出現。

So no matter what you choose, you can rest assured that the downside is limited.

所以不論你選哪個，你都可以放心，每個選項的不利因素是有限的。

Now that you've established some ground rules, the process can begin.

現在一些基本原則已經建立，你可以開始做選擇了。

Start by identifying a front-runner based on your intuition, then compare each of your options head-to-head with the front-runner, one-by-one.

首先，憑藉直覺選出一個最佳選項，然後將其他選項與最佳選項逐一比對。

Each time, choose the better of the two based on the criteria, and discard the other one.

每次比較均須根據選擇標準，從兩個選項中選出一個，並淘汰其中一個。

Here's the trick to avoiding FOBO.

這邊有一個能避免 FOBO 的秘訣。

When you eliminate an option, it's gone forever.

當你已經淘汰掉一個選項之後，它不能再次出現。

If you keep returning to discarded options, you risk getting stuck.

如果你不斷復活淘汰的選項，你會糾結其中。

Now repeat this process until you get down to one final choice.

重複剛才的步驟，直到得出最終選擇。

If you follow this system, you will usually end up with a decision on your own.

如果你遵循這個流程，你通常能得出最後的結論，做出自己的選擇。

On the rare occasion that you get stuck, you will outsource the final decision to a small group of qualified people who you trust and who are equipped to provide you with guidance on this particular topic.

除分你遇到很少見難以作出抉擇的情況，你可以將決定權交給一群可靠，且你信任的人，這些人還要有能力能在這個議題上給予你意見。

Engage a group of five or less, ideally an odd number of people so that you have a built-in tiebreaker if you need it.

人數不要超過 5 位，最好是奇數位，因為一旦出現平手的狀況，就有人可以跳出來打破僵局。

Now that you've made your choice, one last challenge remains.

現在你已經做出抉擇了，還剩下一個挑戰。

You have to commit.

就是執行這個抉擇。

I can't promise you that you'll ever truly know if you've made the perfect decision, but I can tell you this: a significant percentage of people in the world will never have to worry about FOBO.

我沒辦法跟你保證這個決定是完美的，但我可以告訴你世界上會有很大一部分人可以告別 FOBO 的困擾。

Unlike the billions of people who have few options, if any, due to war, poverty or illness, you have plentiful opportunities to live decisively.

還有成千上萬的人沒有什麼選擇，因為他們被戰爭、貧窮還有疾病所困擾，但你與他們不同，你有很多機會做選擇。

You may not get everything you want, but the mere fact you get to decide is powerful.

雖然並非你的所有抉擇都可以被滿足，但有決定權本身就讓你強大。

In fact, it's a gift.

事實上，擁有決定權就是一個餽贈。

Make the most of it.

請充分使用它。