Making decisions can be hard work. Studies show that making decisions is quite draining.
There’s a limit to the number of decisions we can comfortably make each day.
Many of us get stuck when it comes to making big decisions and this lost time can never be regained. There’s an advantage to being decisive.
Those that struggle with life tend to make decisions slowly and change their mind often. Successful people make decisions quicker and stick with them. If you can be more decisive, it’s likely your life will improve.
Make decisions quickly and confidently with these strategies:
- Understand why you’re hesitating. When you’re stuck, there’s a reason. Figure out what that reason is and you can move forward again. Are you afraid of failing? Making a decision you can’t undo? What’s stopping you from pulling the trigger on your decision and charging full-speed ahead?
- Know your values. Decisions are easier when you know what’s important to you. Having a firm grasp of your values makes many decisions obvious. If you don’t know who you are or what’s meaningful to you, decisions can be tricky.
- If you need to clarify your values, write them down and put them in order. Now see if your decision is easier to make.
- Set a time limit. Stalling rarely results in a better decision. It only wastes valuable time. When you can’t choose between two or three options, it means that they’re equally as good. It would be better to pick one and get busy. Give yourself a day or two to make up your mind and then charge ahead.
- A poor decision is often better than no decision at all. If you’ve given your situation any thought, it’s unlikely you’re even considering a poor decision.
- Make fewer decisions. There’s a reason that many CEOs and even a few presidents choose to wear the same thing each day. It cuts down on the number of decisions they have to make. You can only make so many decisions before your decision-making apparatus becomes fatigued.
- Do the simple things the same way each day, such as eating breakfast. Save your energy for the things that matter. Create as many habits as you can to free up your mind for those important decisions.
- Avoid trying to make the perfect choice. Every option you have available to you has advantages and disadvantages. You’ll never find the perfect option, so avoid wasting your time and energy finding a solution that doesn’t exist. Narrow your options as best you can and then pick something.
- Be clear on what you want to accomplish. What are you hoping to accomplish with your decision? Imagine you are trying to decide between two vacation destinations for your family. Both sound good, but which is the best? That depends on what matters to you.
- Is it important to save money?
- Take your kids to the beach for the first time?
- Go someplace educational or historical?
- Stay close to home?
- Sleep in a tent?
- Think about what you want to accomplish with your decision and the best option will be more apparent.
Do you struggle with the big decisions in life? If so, you’re not alone. Decisions can seem so complicated, but the act of making a decision is often more important than the actual option chosen.
Know yourself and your desired outcome. Narrow your options and make a decision. Then, forge confidently ahead based on whatever decision you’ve made.
