making better decisions - 6. Choosing between different GPS routes
Dealing with Difficult People
This email is one in a series on decision-making. The first one is an introduction to the series.
6. Choosing between different GPS routes
Part of thinking through the decision-making process is thinking about repeating patterns in life where we have to make decisions, and working out how we can do that more effectively.
One commonplace decision that I face in life is, when using a mapping application to make some navigation decision, which route to take. Sitting down in the car, or about to get into the car, with a particular travel deadline in mind (and how long will it take to find parking and traverse the distance from parking to my destination).
Google Maps in particular, when allowed to use tolls on a route, has a tendency to recommend a toll road even when it would only save a few minutes of time - the cost-benefit seems poorly aligned.
And so the question arises: how do you choose between one GPS route or another, and what can you learn from that process?
There is much to consider here, so much that it’s not a process you would want to go through for every trip.
The first consideration: “How much is the time saving of a toll road worth?” Is it better just to reach your destination slightly earlier and reduce the inconvenience of driving in traffic, or are you better to save the money, and stay on a more crowded road for longer: especially if you have budgeted adequate time for the journey?
It’s dangerous to be on the road - especially in poor weather - should you minimise travel time to minimise exposure to that risk?
Are there other criteria beyond time, risk and money that could be factored in?
And with a choice like this, the clock is ticking. If you’re leaving early to try and beat the traffic, you don’t have long to consider your options.
Is now even the best time for this trip? Sometimes it’s important to be somewhere at a particular time, but do you have other flexibility in your day? The ability to work from anywhere might mean that you can optimise your choices around travel time: you may not need to make this particular compromise.
Thinking about what problem you’re trying to solve (bringing you and your car to a particular location within particular time parameters, optimising for monetary and time cost).
Can you create some rules for yourself so they come into play, avoiding the need for individual decisions for each trip? That way you’re minimising the number of decisions you are trying to make.
And going a step further, how much of your travel can you pre-plan, so you know what to expect, and can optimise your travel time without reference to the GPS traffic updates?
Perhaps the best way to resolve this kind of recurring decision is to change some wider aspect of your life, so you’re putting more time and energy into planning where your travel fits into life, and then you’ll be in a better position to know where toll roads might fit into your travel decisions.
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Do you have a case study for a decision that you’d like to unpack some more? I’d be happy to think it through with you.