Business English: Indecision over tuna melt is driving me to despair

A female personal assistant (45) wrote: I know this will sound laughable, but every lunchtime I stop being a highly capable person and turn into a dithering fool over what to eat. von Lucy Kellaway, London

... First, I cannot decide which sandwich bar to go to. Then, once inside, I stand at the chilled-food cabinet and find myself picking up a brie baguette, putting that back down and in despair heading out of the shop with a tuna melt, when I don't even like tuna. Does anyone else have this problem? And what do they do about it?

Read what Lucy Kellaway, "agony-aunt" of the Financial Times (London), answered:

I, too, have been a long-time sufferer from Acute Lunchtime Indecision Syndrome, and so I know how horrible it is. We are not alone: In every sandwich bar at lunchtime there are lines of stressed workers unable to decide between the seasonal turkey-and-stuffing sandwich or chorizo and rocket baguette.

I have spent infinitely more time flapping over my choice of sandwich than over my choice of career, or of spouse - which at first sight seems rather upside down.

Lucy Kellaway answers the questions of FT-readers

Three reasons

However, there are three things that explain why it is so hard to choose. The first is that when making a decision at work, there usually is a right answer and one can deploy logic, experience and judgment to find it. But with a sandwich there are no right answers and precious few reference points.

The second is that the sandwich choice is devilishly complicated. Decisions at work tend to be binary, or between a manageable number of options. With lunch, there are about 20 places within easy walk of my office, and at each there are about 50 different things to eat. That means 1,000 sandwiches. No wonder we feel sick at the thought of choosing just one.

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The third reason for our despair is that when we make the final choice we are very likely to be disappointed - as most fast food is beastly. If you dithered for ages yesterday and found the tuna melt horrid, it increases your determination to choose something today that is better. And that ratchets up the anxiety even further.

Don't feel ashame

There is nothing to feel ashamed of in all this. Einstein was said always to wear the same clothes so as to avoid having to trouble his brain with such piffling matters as deciding between suits. And in the past year I have been adapting the Einstein approach to my lunchtime menu. Now I eat the same sandwich every day, varying it only with the seasons. In the winter I have toasted ham and cheese and, as I know what it will taste like, I'm never disappointed.

I still take it one day at a time, but so far it's safe to say I'm in remission. It is months since I looked questioningly at the salmon or brie. I know that way madness lies.

Aus der Financial Times, London. www.ft.com