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Perfection is the enemy of good. I was inspired by Voltaire’s observation to make my resolution: “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” In other words, rather than striving for an unattainable level of perfection and thus achieving nothing, one should settle for being good enough. Many things that are worth doing can be done poorly. When making a decision, I keep in mind Voltaire’s wisdom: “Perfection is the enemy of good.” In other words, don’t force yourself to achieve impossible “perfection”; instead, accept “good enough.” There are many things worth doing, but it’s not necessary to be perfect at everything. I have a friend who never exercises unless she’s training for a marathon; as a result, she almost never exercises at all. I never push myself when I exercise, and although I suspect she scoffs at my weak workouts, I’ve managed to get myself to exercise several times a week for years. If I had tried to engage in more intense workouts, I’m sure I wouldn’t have exercised at all. I have a friend who never exercises, except when she’s training for a marathon. As a result, she hardly ever exercised. And when I work out, I never force myself. Although I suspect she looks down on my low level of exercise, I have managed to work out a few times a week for years. If I set a higher exercise goal, I definitely won’t exercise at all. In the same vein, I told a friend that one of my resolutions for my \"happiness plan\" was to \"remember birthdays,\" so I would send birthday greeting emails. He said, \"Oh, you shouldn’t send emails! You should call or write a handwritten note; that’s much nicer.\" True – but I won’t do that. It’s better to accomplish something imperfectly than to do nothing perfectly. Similarly, I once told a friend that one of my goals under my \"happiness plan\" was to \"remember birthdays,\" and that’s why I sent birthday greeting emails. He said, “Oh, you shouldn’t have sent an email!” It feels better to make a call or leave a message. ” Yes — but I won’t do it. Doing something imperfectly is always better than striving for perfection and achieving nothing. Perfection can also become the enemy of goodness in the pursuit of perfect information. There are two ways to approach decision-making: as a satisficer (yes, that’s a word) or as a maximizer. In terms of obtaining detailed information, “perfection” can also turn into an obstacle to what is considered “good”. There are two types of decision-makers: satisficers (that’s the term used) and maximizers. Satisficers are those who make a decision or take action once their criteria are met. That doesn’t mean they’ll settle for mediocrity; their criteria can be very high, but as soon as they find the pasta sauce or the business card that has the qualities they want, they’re satisfied. “Satisficers” refer to those who make decisions or take action once their standards have been met. This doesn’t mean they are willing to settle for mediocrity: their standards may be high, but once they find what they’re looking for, such as pasta sauce or business cards, they are satisfied. Maximizers want to make the optimal decision. Even if they see a bicycle or a backpack that meets their requirements, they can’t make a decision until after they’ve examined every option, in order to make the best possible choice. Studies suggest that satisficers tend to be happier than maximizers; maximizers spend much more time and effort reaching a decision, and they are often anxious about whether they have indeed made the best choice. (For a fascinating discussion on this topic, read Barry Schwartz’s The Paradox of Choice.) Maximizers hope to make optimized decisions. Even if they find something that meets their needs, such as a bicycle or a backpack, they have to examine each candidate before making a decision in order to choose the best one. Research shows that those who are satisfied tend to be happier than those who seek to maximize ； The maximizer spends more effort and time making a decision, and often worries about whether they have truly made the best choice. (For a great discussion on this topic, please read the book \"The Paradox of Choice\" by Barry Schwartz.) In almost every category, I am a satisficer; in fact, I often felt guilty for making decisions without conducting more research first. But it’s one of my secrets of adulthood: most decisions don’t require extensive research. When choosing a girls’ summer camp, a friend gathered information from 25 camps and visited five of them in person. We obtained information from five camps and chose the one that my friend’s daughter liked. I used to think that my lack of diligence was a sign of laziness, but my resolution to \"not let perfection become the enemy of good enough\" has made me feel much better. Basically, I am a satisficer – in fact, I often feel guilty for making decisions without doing more research first. But one of my “adult secrets” is: a majority decision doesn’t require thorough investigation. To choose a girls’ summer camp, a friend of mine researched 25 camps and visited 5 in person. We surveyed 5 options and chose the one that the friend’s daughter liked. I used to think that lack of diligence was a sign of laziness, but the idea that \"excessiveness is the enemy of goodness\" made me feel much better. In some situations, it’s better to know when good enough is good enough, and not to worry about perfection or making the perfect choice. Sometimes, one needs to learn to be satisfied and not worry about whether everything is perfect or whether the right decision has been made.