Here’s one of my favourite rules from an amazing blog post called 103 Bits of Advice I Wish I Had Known (would highly recommend reading the whole thing):

“At a restaurant do you order what you know is great, or do you try something new? Do you make what you know will sell or try something new? Do you keep dating new folks or try to commit to someone you already met? The optimal balance for exploring new things vs exploiting them once found is: 1/3. Spend 1/3 of your time on exploring and 2/3 time on deepening. It is harder to devote time to exploring as you age because it seems unproductive, but aim for 1/3.”

I’ve been experimenting with this recently. When buying sushi, I always get two rolls I know I’ll enjoy (salmon avocado and grilled salmon), then experiment with one other I’ve never tried before. Some experiments have been pretty awful – anything with chicken is a nope – but I’ve also discovered some new favourites like tempura salmon or seaweed. Through experiencing different sushis, my world has expanded just a bit.

I think this novelty fraction can be different across different contexts. For high-reward, low-stake activities like food, reading or travelling, I’d push it closer to 1/2 or 2/3. In higher-stake activities like choosing your partner, or giving a talk, however, it may be wise to stick with what you know and have perfected.

Whatever it is, it’s critical some sort of novelty is present somewhere. You won’t remember the 100th tempura salmon sushi you ate. But that amazing seaweed sushi that blew your mind, or that terrible chicken avocado sushi that made you gag, despite it costing $4 and looking spectacular?

Now that’s an interesting story.