{"id":37247,"date":"2017-08-19T12:26:26","date_gmt":"2017-08-19T19:26:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=37247"},"modified":"2017-01-21T20:47:38","modified_gmt":"2017-01-22T04:47:38","slug":"dont-seek-the-best-seek-the-least-friction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/19\/dont-seek-the-best-seek-the-least-friction\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Seek the Best; Seek the Least Friction"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"eric
Ha Long Bay, 2017 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dear friend,\u00c2\u00a0in my quest to live happier, with less stress, and with more meaning\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I think I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve come across an idea which can help you.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This idea came to me when traveling with family \u00e2\u20ac\u201d having the stress of having to make decisions.<\/p>\n

Where should we eat breakfast? What should we do today? Where should we sit down? Where should we drink a cup of coffee? What restaurant should we eat at for dinner? Where should we go next? What should we seek to do next?<\/p>\n

Inevitably we try to plan \u00e2\u20ac\u201d by taking out our phones, Googling stuff or going on TripAdvisor. But the problem is this takes a lot of time\u00e2\u20ac\u201d because we seek to do the best<\/em> thing possible. For example, to drink coffee at the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153best\u00e2\u20ac\u009d coffee shop in town, or eat the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153best\u00e2\u20ac\u009d lunch, or see the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153best\u00e2\u20ac\u009d sights.<\/p>\n

Instead, I think it makes more sense to do what takes the least amount of friction. Which is the least hassle. To not seek the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153best\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, but to seek \u00e2\u20ac\u0153good enough\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d which is more convenient.<\/p>\n

For example, when our family was traveling in Tokyo, we spent a long time looking for the best<\/em> ramen to eat. However the truth is that the difference between the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153best\u00e2\u20ac\u009d ramen shop and a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153good\u00e2\u20ac\u009d ramen shop isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t much. A \u00e2\u20ac\u0153good\u00e2\u20ac\u009d ramen shop might be an 8\/10 in terms of taste\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153great\u00e2\u20ac\u009d ramen shop might be a 9\/10 in terms of taste. Is wasting time to find the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153best\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153greatest\u00e2\u20ac\u009d ramen shop worth the 10% difference in terms of experience?<\/p>\n

The same goes with almost everything in life.<\/p>\n

For example, all cameras out there are much more similar than dissimilar. However, we always stress the differences of these cameras, rather than the similarities. This causes us to waste countless hours reading comparison reviews and such. Wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it be more effective to not seek the best<\/em> camera, but the camera that was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153good enough\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and the least cumbersome in terms of our lifestyle?<\/p>\n

Seek less \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pain in the ass\u00e2\u20ac\u009d costs<\/h2>\n

I think the best camera is the one that has the least friction to use. Meaning, the least \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pain in the ass\u00e2\u20ac\u009d camera to use.<\/p>\n

For example, I think that means shooting a smartphone for 99% of people. Or it might mean using a compact camera. Or any camera which is easy to operate, and fits in your front pocket.<\/p>\n

The irony about photography is that the more experienced we become, the bigger our cameras become, and the less<\/em> we carry our cameras with us. Which means the less<\/em> we take photos. Which means the less<\/em> joy we get from photography.<\/p>\n

Shooting photos should be smooth as butter. Shooting photos should be frictionless, like water flowing through a stream. Shooting photos shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t require thought. Just point and click.<\/p>\n

Who should you have dinner with?<\/h2>\n

The next time you decide to meet a friend for dinner, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t waste time searching the internet to find the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153best\u00e2\u20ac\u009d restaurant in town to meet at. Rather, seek a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153good enough\u00e2\u20ac\u009d restaurant that is the least<\/em> hassle for both of you. This means prioritizing location over other factors. Because who<\/em> you eat with is far more important than what<\/em> you eat.<\/p>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t maximize; satisfice<\/h2>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seek the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153best\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153maximizer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d someone who wants to maximize the quality of everything they own, or the activities they do. A \u00e2\u20ac\u0153maximizer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is someone who wants to buy the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153best\u00e2\u20ac\u009d camera with 20 tabs open in their web browser. Rather, seek to be a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153satisfied\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d someone who seeks to suffice\/satisfy themselves with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153good enough.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d This person might research 3-5 cameras, and try out a few, and settle on what is 80% good for their needs and lifestyle.<\/p>\n

How I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve applied having less friction to my life<\/h2>\n

The way I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve tried to reduce friction in my life includes the following:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. At a cafe, I am often overwhelmed by the menu in terms of what kind of coffee to drink. So I try to reduce the friction of my decision-making energy, by just ordering an espresso.<\/li>\n
  2. When it comes to meeting a friend for dinner, I choose a place that is convenient for us, close for both of us, a place I know that is pretty good, instead of wasting time trying to find a new place to eat at.<\/li>\n
  3. When it comes to processing my photos, seeking the easiest workflow. That means sticking to the same workflow I am accustomed to, by using the same Lightroom presets, and the same settings on my camera. Not always experimenting with new workflows to try to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153optimize\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or be more \u00e2\u20ac\u0153efficient.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/li>\n
  4. Using the simplest apps on my smartphone. For example, using Google Maps to find a restaurant to eat at (when traveling) as it shows fewer recommendations than Tripadvisor (shows too many options, which often overwhelms me). Google Maps also helps me find a restaurant closest to me in terms of location, which is less of a pain in the ass to get to.<\/li>\n
  5. Spending more money to take an Uber or a taxi to get somewhere, instead of spending less money on public transportation, but it taking a lot more time, transfers, and having a lot more friction.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I hope this idea of following the least amount of friction helps you in life. Flow like water, and nothing will get in your way.<\/p>\n

    Always,
    \nEric<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Dear friend,\u00c2\u00a0in my quest to live happier, with less stress, and with more meaning\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I think I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve come across an idea which can help you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/eric-kim-street-photography-hanoi-ricoh-gr-ii-0003866.jpg?fit=4928%2C3264&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}