Mental Self Help – 6 Steps to Making Better Decisions
Do you find making the right decisions very difficult? Do you feel inadequate because you don't make good decisions? Are you trapped in procrastination by your decision making ability? Take heart! Decision making can be quite easy provided you use a systematic approach to it. In fact you've already shown you're able to make decisions - you've decided to read this article...
We are all faced with thousands of decisions every day. Some decisions are quite easy like when to eat lunch, whether to take a coat in case it rains and so on. You probably make these decisions with very little difficulty or thought. Other decisions are much harder, often they have major implications for your finances and your life like: should I take that new job? Should I prioritise that special project the boss has given me? Which car should I buy?
Making bigger and more complex decisions about things that are going to have a significant effect on you is often very intimidating and you may be like many people who end up procrastinating rather than acting decisively. Procrastination in decision making is one of the main causes for poor results in life and can lead you to making a poor decision when you are faced with an urgent need to make a decision that you could have made in a more controlled and effective manner. You need to learn to make faster and better decisions.
Use a system to make decision
A systematic approach can help to ensure that you make your decisions in the best way possible in a reasonable period of time. It will enable you to collect all the information you need to make a decision and analyse it as thoroughly as possible before you have to commit. Here are the steps to take:
1. Before you start, get clear on what you want out of the decision. What is the best possible result going to be like? Will it line up with your overall goals and purpose? Write this down.
2. Start with a blank piece of paper and write down all the facts you know about this decision - write down everything in the order they occur to you. Now go back over your list and ask yourself are these all facts, or are some of them half truths or emotional judgements. If you find half truths or emotional judgements either correct them or cross them out.
3. Now you have a good knowledge of the circumstances of the decision, spend a few moments brainstorming options. You'll probably find that as you went through step 2 options that hadn't occurred to you suddenly popped out. Look over your list - do you need to get some more information to improve your list of options? By listing all the options you can conceive you can be assured that you are making the best decision possible.
4. Go through each option. Ask yourself three questions: Based on what I know, what are the benefits and consequences of this option? How do I feel about this option - does it excite me, does my heart tell me it feels right? How well does this option meet the objective I wrote down in step 1?
5. Rate the options. The top option is your decision. Now look at it again, if necessary take a short break, you've come a long way and what you're about to do is to commit yourself. Ask yourself: Does this make sense? Does it feel right to me? If your answer to these two questions is positive - congratulations you're done! If the answer is negative - do you need some more information to help you rate them differently? Did you miss anything in thinking it through the first time round?
You must remember that no decision is taken with absolutely perfect information, no decision is completely irreversible, balance any uncertainty you have against the need to make a decision.
6. COMMIT! Once you've reached your conclusion, you must commit wholeheartedly to implementing your decision. You can be reassured that you've done the absolute best you can.
The first time you try a systematic approach you may find it slow and difficult. Like every skill, you need to practice it to become proficient at it. As you get better, you will find decision making gets easier and faster. Persist and you will be able to overcome procrastination and time wasting.
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