You Decide

There are times when it’s to your credit to be easygoing, and times when it just adds work for other people.

Don’t say, “I’m not picky. You decide.”

There are two situations when I’m likely to hear that answer. First is when I’m taking food orders for a group. If I say, “Pick a sandwich from this list” to a group of 10 or more, I will almost always get at least one flexible person who replies thus.

The second is when I’m asking for preferred nickname. “Do you like Joe or Joseph?” It’s amazing the percentage of the time that someone will reply, “Whatever you pick is fine.”

Of course it’s okay to not have strong preferences on things. That’s not the issue. The issue is that it puts more decisions onto one person’s back, someone who’s obviously doing a fair bit of logistical work at that moment. There are lots of decisions I have to make, so adding on decisions to that list isn’t a gift, it’s a burden.