They tell you that you have to aspire to perfection, but the right strategy to achieve your goals is actually different and is less tiring and more efficient.
Do you want to know what it is?
Perfection is not the best strategy
We are used to believing that to achieve a goal we must apply a strategy that is perfect, therefore every movement we make to reach the goal must be thought out perfectly.
Scientists have discovered that the strategy of perfection actually leads us to achieve our goals in a more costly way in terms of energy and resources.
But we can still achieve the goal by applying an imperfect strategy defined as “good enough”.
The study on the animal model
To reach these conclusions, the experts used computer models that replicate the choice processes of animals to reach food and, after having analyzed tens of thousands of them, they discovered that hunting animals also apply strategies that we could define as imperfect, but which they are “good enough” to allow him to eat while saving more resources and energy than a strategy that can be defined as perfect.
Why?
The mental path of Good Enough
On the path to achieving a goal there are many variables that can influence the final result, which is why it is necessary to know how to adapt and remodulate.
Our brain takes care of this and, by calculating the variables, also based on past experiences, develops a strategy that is not perfect but is “good enough” to allow us to get what we want.
This is exactly what experts have identified by analyzing computer animal models.
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The limits of perfection
The search for perfection triggers various mechanisms in us that make us spend more energy and time, such as anxiety and expectations (ours and others), without having a real need for the objective.
Freeing ourselves from perfection and opting for “good enough” does not mean acting superficially, but rather understanding what, how and how much to invest our energies in considering what we want to achieve.
In short, as the researchers of this study say: as soon as you free yourself from being perfect, you’ll be surprised at how many ways there are to solve a problem.
The study, entitled “A vast space of compact strategies for effective decisions”, was published in the journal Science Advances.
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