---
title: Hick's Law - Choice Paralysis
date: 2025-09-24T00:00:00
author: Charlie M.
category: SIGNAL
---
So, uh, I was just staring at my closet this morning. Like, staring. I had one of those moments where I just... couldn't pick something to wear. And it's not like I have an overwhelming amount of clothes or anything. Just your average person amount, I guess? Anyway, I kept thinking, why is this so hard? I mean, it's just clothes, right?
Then I remembered this thing I read about a while back, Hick's Law, or maybe it was Hicks' Law... anyway, the idea that the more choices we have, the longer it takes to make a decision. I think that was the gist of it. And that got me spiraling into this rabbit hole about choice paralysis. Funny how my brain works, or doesn't work sometimes.
Like, I’ve been down this road before. In fact, I remember when I deleted a bunch of apps off my phone last year. Instagram, Snapchat, even a few games. I thought, hey, simplify, right? But even then, I found myself staring at the five apps left, wondering which one to open. It's almost like I traded one kind of chaos for another. I’m not even sure if fewer apps made me more or less distracted. Maybe neither? Or both?
I mean, I guess the research says people get overwhelmed with too many options because of this thing, Hick’s Law. I read somewhere that it takes longer to decide with each additional option. And when you think about it, isn’t that just everywhere in life? Like when you scroll through Netflix for an hour, and you just end up watching reruns of The Office. It’s ridiculous. I wonder if limiting our choices actually... I don’t know, helps us breathe easier? Or does it just make the fewer choices we have feel disproportionately important?
But then again, there’s this part of me that thinks maybe it’s not about the number of choices. Maybe it’s just me. Or us—humans, being indecisive creatures. Does anyone ever really know what they truly want, or is it just an illusion we buy into because some law or theory says choice is tricky? Ugh, who knows.
I guess I've tried all these little hacks, like setting timers or giving myself ultimatums, but I still end up wasting time. It makes me question if those productivity gurus really know something, or are they as clueless and just better at pretending?
In the end, I’m still just staring at my closet, or my phone, or whatever. Still unsure if any of this really matters. Or helps. Or if I’m just creating needless anxiety over mundane things. Maybe I just need to embrace the chaos of choices and stop overthinking it all. Or maybe not. I don't know. Too tired to figure it out today.