Do you struggle with making decisions? Some people can make big ones, such as whether to buy a house, in a snap but struggle with figuring out what to order for dinner. Others are the opposite or just struggle with all kinds of decisions. The effect that this has on your life can run the gamut from being something that your friends tease you about to something that seriously inhibits your life. The tips below can help you get better about making decisions.
Assess the seriousness
First, think about how serious the decision is. If it’s a big one, like deciding if you are ready for a baby, you don’t want to jump into it, but if it is something minor with benign consequences, like what movie to watch or what to eat for dinner, just do it. If it helps, you can set a timer and give yourself five minutes to fret over it before you have to choose something. This can acclimate you to making decisions in low stakes situations.
Gather information
In other cases, your hesitation may be sensible up to a point. One reason to hold off on making a decision immediately is if you need to gather more information. Some people can impulsively make up their minds even on big things, but you don’t have to develop this ability. You just have to set parameters around how much information gathering you will do.
Perhaps you are trying to decide whether to go back to school and get your college degree. One of the big things holding you back is the cost. You could fret about this for literally decades, or you could review Going Merry scholarships that customizes its recommendations for you. You could then give yourself a limited amount of time, such as a month, and see how many recommendations you get. Combine this with research into other methods of funding college but stick to a hard deadline for a decision.
Slower hacks
One great way to make up your mind is by making a list of all the pros and cons and assigning a value to those pros and cons based on how important they are to you. At times, this will reveal the clear correct choice. At other times, this can be useful in the same way the coin toss can because you may find that the numbers say one thing and your heart says another. Some people also find that meditation can break bad habits so sometimes taking some time to center yourself gives your mind the opportunity to slow down and reach a decision. This is generally worth digging into deeper to figure out what you really want.
Quick hacks
These won’t work in every situation, but there are some quick hacks you can use to prompt you into faster decision making. If you have two options: flip a coin, and see how you feel about the option that comes up. This can help reveal what you really want to do. Sometimes, the answer is to narrow a big field of options to just two or three. You can also remind yourself that not reaching a decision is, in the long run, another way of making one, but in doing so, you relinquish your control.
Story by Jenna Christine
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