The Search Dilemma: When to stop looking and just choose

Which one to select?

Throughout history, we were often concerned about not having enough choices. Options were so limited that making a decision was easy. For example, during the License Raj era (pre-reform period) in Inida, there were only a couple of car models to choose from—just like with most other consumer goods. Essentially, we weren’t burdened by an overwhelming number of choices. But globalization and global supply chains changed everything. Now, if you want to buy something—say, a washing machine— we have a lot of options - wire rage of brands, types, models, and features. Sometimes, at the same price, there might be multiple options with nearly identical specifications. The dilemma is what to pick, in a reasonable time?  

Take watching a movie, for example. During late dinners, we often put on a movie on YouTube. I try to pick a good one, so I search — a lot!!! Every time I am about select one, there is another one to its right, then another one. Then probably another seach. This goes on for so long that, Divya often complains that by the time I finally pick something, dinner might be over. I tell her, 'in a minute' and keep scrolling — by which time she might have already finished eating. And in the end, the movie I settle on is usually no better than the first one I came across. The same thing happens on Prime Video and Netflix. Since I’ve already watched most of the best-rated (Oscar winning) movies, I keep searching for one with great IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes reviews—spending an absurd amount of time just picking something to watch.

It’s not just movies. During long drives, I often need to stop for lunch/dinner but keep on skipping restaurants, thinking a better one is just ahead—only to end up at a place similar to the ones I passed. A couple of times, I’ve even reached areas with no restaurants left and had to drive all the way to the next town to find one.  

Once, while driving from Gandikota to Bangalore, fuel level dropped well below a quarter tank. I skipped a couple of petrol pumps for no specific reason, thinking I’d fill up at the next one. But later there were less stations and then ones I found just had diesel. Some were even closed. I started getting worried, but there was still some fuel left—I could keep going a bit longer. Then we entered a forested area!!! Forget petrol pumps—there was barely anyone around!!! The road was empty, and fuel level dropped to a dangerously low point. Luckily, just as we exited the forest, I spotted a petrol pump at a Y-junction; never been so relieved to see a fuel station in my life. 

A few days ago, I faced the same struggle while picking an audiobook from Amazon’s collection. I browsed title after title, spending an unnecessary amount of time searching. That’s when I realized something had to change — I couldn’t keep wasting so much time just for looking. The real question is: when do you stop searching and just pick something?  

Yesterday, I decided to set a time limit—search for a while and then pick whatever seems good within that timeframe. So, I did just that, found an audiobook, and started listening. A lot of decisions in life is not a life-or-death questions; if the book, movie, or series turns out to be boring or bad, we can always stop and switch to another. That’s far better than endlessly searching and failing to decide.

Do you have any strategies for this? How do you decide when to stop searching and pick one?

Interestingly, mathematicians have an algorithm for this dilemma, famously known as the 'Optimal Stopping Problem' or 'The Secretary Problem'. If you’re curious, you can read more about it in "Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions" by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths.

Sajeev

A food lover’s thoughts: Enjoying good food and appreciating great cooks

I love food—not just one specific type, but pretty much everything. My favorites are salty and spicy dishes. As Gokul often says, "Hot Chips thrives wherever I stay." Though I don’t openly agree with him, there’s some truth to it. I’m a regular customer at snack stalls, sweet shops, and restaurants—though it’s mostly snacks rather than full meals. Even for team lunches or buffets, I prefer the starters and desserts!!!

When I moved from Madiwala/Koramangala to the inner roads of Sarjapur in Bangalore, I was quite disappointed at first. There were hardly any snack shops around, and I really missed them. It took a while, but my silent wish was eventually granted—now, there are plenty of options within walking (or rather, driving) distance. There’s Hot Chips, where I get salty and spicy potato chips, tapioca chips, and more. An Andhra restaurant nearby serves deliciously crispy mirchi bajji, vada, and a few other items, plus tea with a slightly different flavor. A little further away, there’s a pani puri stall (Divya loves pani puri, though sadly, the vendor near our home doesn’t come anymore), a momo stall, and a fresh sugarcane juice stand (no water or sugar added). Then there’s Rajasthani sweets and chaats - vadapav, pav bajjis, kachories, and small food counters inside a hypermarket making all sorts of dishes with bread, eggs, and paneer. Han, who can forget the nice kulfies coming out of kulfi shulfis. The list goes on. One new snack I started recently is chaaps (mainly made of soya).

Unfortunately, I love eating but not cooking. That said, I truly appreciate great cooks. In India, for some reason, chefs—whether professionals, mothers, or sisters—don’t always get the recognition they deserve for their amazing work in the kitchen. Divya is an excellent cook, and she picked it up quickly. My only role was to give feedback—good or bad. I wish I could cook like that too, but maybe I’m just too lazy or unwilling to put in the effort. My mom is also a fantastic cook—her masala curries have a distinct, aromatic flavor. Divya’s mother, too, makes incredible dishes, especially fried mathi (sardine). Her sharkara upperi (a Kerala sweet dish), banana chips, and red chili chutney are just as good.

Well, I guess I went on for a while! But if you’ve read this far, I have a small request: the next time you eat something, put away your distractions (Instagram, WhatsApp, etc.), focus on the flavors, and if it’s good, take a moment to appreciate it. Great food, like great art, deserves recognition. And to me, a chef is an artist.

Sajeev

Lost Words: The cost of not saving

I usually write in Notepad++ because it lets me type without autocorrections or an overload of suggestions. It also doesn’t highlight spelling mistakes, which helps me focus on writing without constantly feeling the need to correct things before finishing.  

However, I have a habit of working on new notes without saving them. Since Notepad++ reopens unsaved files, I never worried much about saving in between. But yesterday, that habit cost me dearly. I accidentally closed an unsaved page where I already completed the first draft for a new article, and when the system asked whether to save it, I chose "No" without thinking. Boom! The moment I clicked, I remembered I had been halfway through an article. Oops. Too late—it's gone, every word of it along with some other notes I created.

Now, rewriting it feels exhausting. Maybe it’s not the writing itself that’s tiring, but I am. Perhaps it’s time to restart my long walks on weekends and holidays.

Sajeev

An island of calmness amidst the hustle

I came out on the first floor and walked outside. It was lunchtime, and there were so many people wearing tags with logos of different companies. I looked at the gang of girls walking ahead of us—two people among them were talking to each other, and the rest were giving their ears and sometimes their voices to the conversation.  

On the right side, one guy was walking toward us alone, with a poker face. behind me there were so many mre groups, walking around the big courtyard post lunch. It's rare to see people walking alone here; most are either with others or engaged in conversation over the phone.  

I approached the railing at the end of the courtyard. People were standing there in groups, talking to each other. Some groups were formed based on people working in the same company and speaking the same language; other groups were based on people working on the same projects. Language-based groups seemed to be talking more, while project-based groups defaulted to English, and the pace of conversation was slower. It looks like it's easier to talk to another person in one's mother tongue rather than in any other language.  

I noticed this among friends and colleagues whose mother tongue is different from mine. When I am involved in the conversation, topics are a bit harder to come by and end faster. However, if I am doing something else, the same groups have a lot more to discuss. People seem to be happier and louder while speaking in their mother tongue.  

However, this is not the case with kids in our apartment complex. They talk to each other in fluent English, and there seems to be no shortage of topics. Probably, they are more comfortable with English since they started with it—unlike people like me, who switched to it because of work and moving to a new city.  

Coming back to walking, there was a long moment of disconnect from everyone around me. What am I doing here? Do I feel any connection with anyone nearby? Maybe not. It's like an island of calmness (or maybe nothingness) in the middle of a crowd. I'm not sure whether that is something to be enjoyed, but it is what I am feeling at the moment.  

Sajeev