Decision Precision • in|retrospect

We've gotten really good at measuring things to absurd levels of precision, but that precision doesn't actually help us make better decisions. Your EV tells you it's getting 2.73 mi/kWh, your Oura Ring says you slept exactly 6 hours and 50 minutes with 92% efficiency, your kid's B+ is actually an 88.93. None of these extra decimal places change what you do next.

The precision is mostly false anyway. EVs calculate range from voltage and current, but that number shifts wildly based on temperature, driving style, and battery conditioning. Sleep trackers infer data from periodic measurements that aren't even that accurate. The decimal places create unjustified confidence in numbers that are fundamentally estimates. You're optimizing for a target that doesn't exist.

Here's what actually matters: our brains don't work in tenths of a percent. We think in binary outcomes, thresholds, and broad ranges. You want to see over 300 miles of range. You want your kid to get at least an A-. The specific number underneath that threshold is noise. Good interfaces understand this - they show you graphs and trends instead of exact values, intentionally abstracting away the false precision. What you lose in numerical sharpness, you gain in the ability to actually make a decision.