Imagine being on a battlefield and waiting for instructions from your commanding officer, only to see him suffering from analysis paralysis and unable to make a decision. All you know is that a decision needs to be made soon, or you’re all going to get picked off like sitting ducks.
Analysis paralysis (aka decision fatigue) is real, and it’s such a pervasive problem that it’s even become a field of science. The science of analysis paralysis is the study of how overthinking can kill productivity. On the battlefield, it can be a matter of life or death, but it can kill progress of any kind in our personal lives- with our relationships and finances.
In today’s digital age, decision fatigue is at all-time highs. We consume so much media – in fact, more media in one day than we did an entire year in 1988 – and we are all easily influenced by media in all our decision-making – even with our investment decisions. There is so much information at our fingertips that many are overwhelmed by the options available – to the point of paralysis.
In the good book, we are instructed to “renew our minds” because I think we have so much clutter up there and we’re so easily influenced by everything we read and see that we suffer from decision fatigue. Instead, the good book tells us to “guard our hearts.”
There is scientific truth to leading with our hearts in decision-making.
Researchers have found that the best way to combat decision fatigue is to trust our hearts – to go with our guts, so to say. Some of the best leaders in business and sports can make on-the-fly decisions because they trust their guts. They don’t let themselves get overwhelmed by decision-making. They drown out the noise. They limit the number of people they’re willing to take advice from, making their own decisions.
The heart can’t be deceived or swayed, so these successful leaders lead with their hearts.
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With investing, are you leading with your heart or your mind?
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Are you letting too many voices into your head – to the point of paralysis?
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Is your mind too easily malleable?
If so, maybe it’s time to start leading with your heart regarding your investments.
Invest with your heart. Drown out the noise. Stop following the masses, stop relying on memes for your investment advice, ignore social media and buzz.
Nobody in cyberspace has your best interest in mind. Your heart and your gut, on the other hand, have your back and won’t betray you.
Kyle Jones is a co-founder and Key Principal of TruePoint Capital, LLC. Kyle is responsible for the company’s strategic planning, investment decisions, asset management, and overseeing all aspects of the company’s financial activities, operations, and investor relations.
Kyle obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas State University – San Marcos, where he also played Division 1 Baseball.
