A cracked and leaky decision-making process

There's a type of paralysis that comes from too much choice, too many options, too many opinions--if I dig far enough into the consumer reviews of this electric hotpot, I'll surely find a one-star review that scares me off, but then there are hundreds of other hotpots available, each offering a host of options I don't know whether I need, in prices ranging from the negligible to the laughable, each with a gaggle of admirers touting the glories of this hotpot but, again, read far enough and I'll find the complaints, and how can I possibly spend real money on a hotpot that might leak just as badly as the one I'm trying to replace?

And it's worse, of course, when the decision is more consequential. I won't break the bank buying a wonky hotpot, but what about a new water softener system? Is a $1500 system twice as good as a $750 system, or is it just a lot of hype? And what about the roof? I don't need to replace it tomorrow but one of these days it needs some attention, so I keep asking friends with experience in such things to recommend roofing contractors so I can get some estimates--but every recommendation comes with its own caveats, its own negative consumer reviews, though it make take a little longer to find them.

And then if I did find a water softener or a roofing contractor whose record didn't scare me, how would I feel about having workmen at my house during a global pandemic? I survived having the air conditioner serviced, but that was a quick bit of work by a guy who kept his distance and never came in the house. Maybe it would be better to just postpone everything until life gets back to normal? But if everyone thought that way, roofers and air conditioning repair dudes and water softener installers would go out of business. Isn't stimulating the economy part of my civic duty?

I can't decide.

Life would be so much easier if I could just flip a coin and trust to chance, but the little Puritans who live in my brain insist that mistakes are costly and every penny counts. So I live with a leaky hotpot, wonder about water softeners, worry about the roof until the need becomes urgent enough to spur immediate action. Meanwhile, I'll just sop up the water leaking out of the hotpot and sit down for a nice cup of tea.