The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,
ONE OF MY FAVOURITE NOVELS OF ALL TIME IS DOUGLAS ADAMS’
a delightful blend of sci-fi and snarky humour which follows the misadventures of earth’s last surviving man, Arthur dent, after earth is demolished to make way for, of all things, an interplanetary highway bypass.
While onboard a spaceship, Arthur seeks out any form of comfort and familiarity he can find – first in a cup of tea. In his search, he comes across the Nutrimatic Drinks Dispenser, a sophisticated machine which scans the user’s tastebuds and organic makeup to create a beverage they’re most likely to enjoy – and almost gets it right. Apart from Arthur’s fantastical journey across the galaxy and the inevitable sights he must have encountered, this is the one device along Arthur’s journey which proved most necessary (throughout the book, Arthur finds it difficult to commit to any kind of decision) and the one I wish would crossover from fiction to reality.
Imagine the freedom of never having to rifle through a nine-page restaurant menu again, instead having the perfect-for-you choice already selected, forever freeing you from food envy. Or the same solution for choosing a university course, career, flat, hell, even a spouse.
According to some studies, the average person makes up an average of 35,000 decisions daily. Calculate that down and it’s something like 2,000 decisions every hour. There are the more micro decisions, such as what to have for breakfast, what to wear to the office; which route to take to work; what radio station or playlist to cue up; where to go or what to eat for lunch.
Widen the lens a bit and you start thinking about the more macro decisions – where you should go on holiday this year; if you should starting thinking about a change in career or a new car; the right time to buy property; if you should get married, have kids. And on some days, all of those thoughts bubble up before you’ve even arrived at your desk – where even more decisions await.
As men and as leaders, it often falls on us to make decisions that affect a number of people – our families, our colleagues, our communities – often choosing to put their needs before ours. Duty is important, of course, and keeps many of us motivated and moving forward even when we’re running on fumes. But my suggestion as we head further into 2019: be a little bit more selfish with your decision making. Take note of the signs of decision fatigue, and simplify where you can. For more help on being a better decision maker every day, we asked the experts for guidance (p56).
One way to avoid decision fatigue? Simplify your style with a ‘uniform’. We can learn from a lot from some of the world’s most fashion designers like Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld, and Michael Kors – keeping your style consistent helps you focus your decisive powers elsewhere throughout the day. This month, we asked a few fashionable men from a variety of industries to show us what they wear to work (p91), in order to to investigate if the dress code has died. Turns out it’s less of a death and more of a reinvention – and whether or not your clothes help you traverse the galaxy, there’s never been a better time to let them reflect the man within.