A Mostly Fine Decision: A Simple Tool for ADHD Decision Overload

Some decisions become difficult because you keep searching for the option that is best in every possible way.

The Mostly Fine Decision is a simple rule: decide what would be acceptable, then stop searching once an option meets those criteria.

This idea was popularized by Tim Herrera in The New York Times. It is related to research on maximizing versus satisficing. Maximizing means continuing to search for the best possible option. Satisficing means choosing an option that meets the requirements you actually need.

This is not an ADHD-specific treatment. It can still be useful when ADHD-related decision load, working-memory demands, perfectionism, or too many options make an ordinary choice take much more energy than it deserves.

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Not every decision needs the best answer. Some decisions only need an answer that works well enough.

Step 1: Decide How Important the Decision Is

A low-stakes decision deserves less analysis than a high-stakes one.

Low-stakes examples might include:

what to order for dinner
which notebook to buy
which movie to watch
which ordinary household item to choose

High-stakes medical, legal, financial, employment, or safety decisions usually deserve a different process.

Step 2: Define “Fine” Before You Keep Searching

Ask:

What are the minimum conditions this choice needs to meet?

For dinner, that might be:

I will eat it
it fits my budget
it can arrive soon enough

For a planner, it might be:

I can see the whole week
it fits in my bag
I will actually use it

Keep the criteria short.

Step 3: Choose the First Option That Meets the Criteria

Once you find an option that meets the requirements, choose it.

Do not reopen the entire search unless you learn something important that changes the decision.

The point is not to stop caring. It is to match the amount of decision-making effort to the importance of the choice.

Step 4: Notice the Urge to Re-Check

After choosing, you may still wonder whether another option would have been better.

Try asking:

Did this choice meet the criteria I set?
Is new information actually available?
Would another 20 minutes of searching materially change the outcome?

If not, the decision can stay made.

Why This Can Help

A 2006 study of graduating students found that people with stronger maximizing tendencies obtained higher-paying jobs on average but reported less satisfaction and more negative emotion during the search and afterward. That study was about job searches, not ADHD, so it does not prove that satisficing treats ADHD decision difficulties. It does illustrate that searching harder for the best possible option does not automatically produce a better subjective outcome.

PubMed: Iyengar, Wells & Schwartz, 2006