Decide Easier Using The “Technique Of Threes”

This is written in a format using the Technique of Threes, which you will learn as you read each part.

Technique Part One:  The Rule Of Threes.

It is believed by some that when presenting ideas, people should be shown three options.   This is sometimes called the Rule of Threes.  As a side note, there are other “Rule of Threes” rulesets, including in photography, writing, and wilderness survival.  Using the Rules of Threes shown below may help your happiness, your career, and your life’s choices.

Rule One: Present exactly three options for people to choose, and if you have more than that number, then make sub-options with exactly three options at each level.

1. There is no proof that three is a magic number.  It seems to work well for many situations.
2. At each level we should only worry about what choices we have at that level
3. It is thought that the third level should be the deepest level.  There should not be a fourth level of choices.

Rule Two: Go only three levels deep.  If you have more than three levels, simplify until you get down to three levels. 

If you are making the list for someone else to decide, there are some other techniques you can try.  Sometimes how the choices are presented can influence the decision.

1. Bogus choice?  One item may be listed just to take up space.
2. Best choice?  An appealing second choice may be best, especially in business presentations or recommendations.  Making two of the three choices unappealing makes the appealing choice seem obvious.
3. Bad choice?  Another item may be listed just because it is too unappealing, such as being too expensive.  Sometimes this is the last choice, forcing the person to go back to re-consider the second choice.

Rule Three: Not all choices are created equal.  And so not all choices are understood in the same way.

1. If one choice is not like the other choices, it may lose out in the battle for attention and interest.
2. Having two of the three choices be very similar draws attention to the one that is a little better.
3. Having two of the three choices be very similar draws attention to the one that is a little better and perhaps longer.

Technique Part Two: Presenting the choices – why three may be best.

It is thought that having three choices is the perfect balance between feeling we have the power of choice and not having too many choices to decide easily.

Sub-choice One: Choosing 1 or 2 is too low.  If there is a choice of two, then it may feel too limited, and that we didn’t get enough of a chance to decide.

Sub-choice Two: If there is a choice of 10 or 20 options, such as choosing food from a restaurant menu, then we can’t easily decide.  Fewer than three does not seem like a choice, while more than three requires more thought.

1. We have to create a process to reduce the number of options from 10 or 20 down to the final 1.  So it is easier if we start with less than 10.
2. The typical mind is thought to be able to hold less than ten ideas in focus at one time.
3. Remembering a phone number with 7 digits involves less thought than deciding which digit is better than all of the other digits.  We have to remember all 7 and also remember what we think about each of the 7.

Sub-choice Three: When we have three choices, we are thought to have less stress in choosing one option at each level.

1. Our minds may be “wired” to prefer to choose from three options, or to feel the most comfortable when we are shown three options.
2. We can think about the three options, and our basic opinions about each one, in our minds at the same time.
3. Physical biology: we have two halves of our body, and we are naturally able to determine three positions: left, right, and center.

Technique Part Three: Strategy.

Using the Rule of Threes can help us make better decisions, and to understand how others may present options to us in groups of three (or other groupings).  The technique can be used as part of a strategy to think about our choices in a more simple and more organized way.

First Strategy: If you are faced with many options, try either elimination or grouping (chunking) your choices.  Group the list until you can find three groupings.  An example is chunking a menu into meat, seafood, and vegetarian (or vegan).  Not every grouping needs to have sub-groupings.

Second Strategy: If you seem to only have one or two options, try to find three options.

1. You may have already excluded options, and you can add them back into the list.  Doing nothing is usually an option.  You may have not considered doing nothing, yet it is a choice.
2. If you are still looking for another option, then make one option be to “continue looking”.
3. Even if you add in options that are not what you would ever choose, you should feel better about having gone through the process of understanding alternatives

Third Strategy: Making a decision.

Sometimes choices are not easy to understand as “this situation needs a decision”.  These can be situations when doing nothing – or not making changes – seems like the only decision.  If you ask yourself “Can I come up with three options?” then you may be able to “think outside of the box” and find an innovative next step.

When you are thinking about decisions, project into the future and think about the next steps you will need to take.  To avoid second-guessing your decisions, think about how it will feel before you make the decision, in case that helps you avoid making a decision for the wrong reasons.

More needs to be understood about how we can make the best decisions.  And, at the end of all of the choices, when a final result is chosen, there is a sense of relief… and conclusion.