Why can’t I make decisions?

It’s time to eat dinner. I open Netflix on my computer (because the TV is somehow always occupied) and ask the question I fear the most: What should I watch today?

I watch only about 30 minutes of TV per week — but not because I’m responsible or because I dislike watching TV (I’ve binge watched “Criminal Minds,” “Community” and even “The Magic School Bus” multiple times). It’s because most nights, after spending an hour searching for the perfect show to watch, I only have five to 10 minutes remaining to actually watch the show.

If you haven’t caught on yet, I’m a really indecisive person. I can’t choose between anything. Every time I’m with my friends, I’m that one guy that will, without fail, question the entire group’s decision, asking “Hey! Are you sure we should do XXX? What about YYY?,” insinuating an argument for another hour about what to do.

Despite the annoyance it causes among my friends, being indecisive can actually be really helpful at times. When I’m faced with multiple choices, my indecisiveness keeps me from making hasty, uninformed decisions. Before choosing a side, I weigh all the possible options.

The problem: Such detailed analysis leads to a kind of paralysis. At 10 a.m. on Blue Days, I have to choose between the different classrooms I need to go to during tutorial, and I find myself stuck in the hallways. Sure, I could split my time between different classes, but I’m not that punctual and definitely too lazy to walk that much.

This, in turn, makes me waste a lot of time. Once, I had a few questions regarding chemistry and math, and wanted to go to each of my respective teachers’ classrooms during tutorial to study for their upcoming tests. I ended up spending all my time deciding which classroom to hit first and not going to either. My grades didn’t like that.

Another instance where my indecisiveness gets the best of me occurs when I’m trying to choose where to eat out. My family doesn’t usually eat out, but when we do, I’m usually the one tasked to figure out where to go. People in my family have extremely varying food choices, so if I choose a place that someone doesn’t want or like, I will never hear the end of it.

My indecisiveness is a family trait. For example, my favorite type of food is Italian food. Having been to all sorts of Italian restaurants, I know my Italian food. But my family thinks otherwise. My parents, being Indian, always prefer to eat at Indian restaurants, despite the fact that we usually eat Indian food at home. And let’s not even talk about my sister’s favorite types of food. So, even though I’m tasked to find the “perfect” restaurant to eat at, the job never gets done and we don’t end up eating out.

Being indecisive has few positives. For me, TV streaming services like Netflix are overwhelming. There are so many choices, and I can’t pick among them. 

I think I’ll just stick to the “Play Something” button on Netflix.