Analysis paralysis is my thing

  

I analyze things. Sometimes, to death. 

As a policy analyst, it’s my job. You would think a job that suits my talents would be good for me. But sometimes I wonder, is it? 

Most people who know me say I partake in enough analysis, whether it be retail analysis, financial analysis or self-analysis. I can spend days analyzing a relatively minor life decision like what I should order for a co-worker's farewell lunch. 

Usually it’s not debilitating, but it can be off-putting. If you’re looking for a confident man who never looks back with regret – well, that’s not me. I can put off a major life decision for years. 

I have learned some lessons. It’s not worth the painstaking time to worry about every decision. In many cases, I’ve learned to pull the trigger and let things fall as they may (just order the hamburger!) One cannot continually live in regret... After a few weeks, the feelings of remorse subside. 

Good analysis requires good data. I have spreadsheets showing how much we spent on groceries since 2006. What does my data reveal? For starters, costs have gone up. I’ve done some further analysis, but I’m not sure you would find it interesting (like why do we eat so much in December??) 

Politicians – for whom I ultimately work – like data that tells a clear, unambiguous story, even though this is rarely the case. Yet if it has to do with policy, the public typically buys in when they're offered more than just data-driven research. Nothing against data-driven research – it has its place on my computer – but the general public often needs a good story for innovative policies to be successful. 

The carbon tax is a case in point. It wasn't doing much to combat climate change – very, very little on a global scale. But it told a story of sacrifice – how we as Canadians paid more at the pumps to help the planet. Now if we had tripled the carbon tax instead of eliminating it, making people really upset, then the data might have shown we were having an impact. Did politicians want to communicate that reality? Not a chance. Hence the rallying cry: “Axe the tax!”

Fortunately, this hot potato is not in my field of work. I do work in the funding sector, though, and if we fail to analyze the data correctly, it has real impacts. From what we've experienced lately, past trends are not necessarily predictors of future ones. Our data-filled spreadsheets constantly require updating.

You may find it hard to believe, but this work can be quite gratifying. Nothing gets me going more than a project where I must analyze the data, and even better, dig deep into the data’s assumptions. At times, the analysis requires further analysis. What pieces are missing? What trends can be identified? And, most importantly, how will all this beautiful data be put into good use?

With so many variables and so little time, we may suffer from an acute condition called analysis paralysis. It’s a common side effect in my line of work. We become so obsessed with the pros and cons of each option that we cannot move forward. 

That’s where the decision makers come into play. Once I hand over my options, I wash my hands thoroughly. What they decide to do, ultimately, is their business. Yes, I may help sway them one way or the other, but I don’t oppose the outcome. 

Only in my head do I obsessively ruminate on what could have been.