Each day, it feels like we must make a gazllion choices about what to buy, what to wear, what to eat.

A trip to the store to buy milk is no longer simple. Grocery stores today carry as many as 40,000 items, compared to 7,000 items in the 1990s, according to retail economists.

And choices that should be easy are now complicated. If I need new socks, should I buy the pair made...