Procrastinator

I'm reading (listening to) The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely. It's fascinating how irrational we are - or can be. This book has it all: lying, cheating, revenge, medical treatment, car repairs...

I've also found Dan has done a talk on TED, asking if we're really as in control of our decisions as we think we are.

As if that wasn't enough, he's also created an app:  Procrastinator, which may just change my life.

You nominate a decision, and a specified length of time, after which Procrastinator chooses for you. You can also choose to simply let the Procrastinator make the choice for you.The price tag of $1.99 is paid to the graduate students who actually did the coding, according to Mr Ariely's website. Seems cheap to me.

I've been known to flip a coin, and then choose the opposite. That's because the sense of disappointment I felt when heads (or tails) came down showed me I might have more of a preference than I recognised.

Now that I'm reading about irrationality, it may just be that I feel better about my decision after the coin toss, whichever decision it was. As I use this technique for life-changing decisions like which of two favourite restaurants to eat at tonight, this degree of affirmation may be all that I need.