How to Make Better Decisions
When you get good at decision making, you reduce decision fatigue and overwhelm.
Decision fatigue and overwhelm occurs when we over-think decisions and make it mean something big and intense, leaving us to question how things will work out.
Getting better at decision making also compounds the results you get in life and boosts your confidence to continue making better decisions.
You also learn to have your own back on the decisions you make despite the unknown. As it stands, we can’t predict the future.
Myth: The longer you take to make the decision, the better it is. The truth is, decisions are made in an instant. Whether it takes two weeks for that instant to occur or one minute.
When we wait to make a decision, it means we are doubting ourselves.
So, how do you make better decisions, then?
How to Make Better Decisions
Practice Small
Start with something small. Decide what you’re having for dinner or what you’re wearing to the office tomorrow. What book to read, what Netflix show to watch next.
This helps you build the skill of making better decisions, and quickly.
Related:
- 5 Things You Must Let Go of to Achieve Success
- How Personal Responsibility Affects Your Life
- Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets: 5 Questions to Help You Determine Your Next Move
- 3 Keys to Building Self-Confidence
Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Whatever you decide, you are not allowed to beat yourself up. Here’s why…
At the time you made the decision, it was the best thing for you. Even if you wouldn’t choose the decision again.
Tell yourself, “at the time I made that decision, it was the best decision for me, and I am going to have my own back on that. It doesn’t serve me to regret my decision.”
You choose who you get to be in making decisions.
Here is a personal example of my own to learn from:
A few years ago after I was newly laid off from the company I’d been with for seven years, I made the decision to pursue a job with a company that ended up not panning out the way I thought it would. In fact, I ended up pretty miserable there for a few years before moving on.
At the time I was starting my position with this new company, I was offered a potential in with another company-the company I’m with now, believe it or not-and turned it down in favor of sticking with the company who’d just employed me, thinking I had a good thing going.
And while my time with this other company eventually made me miserable, I don’t regret choosing it. I wouldn’t choose it again if I could make the decision again, but I don’t regret that I chose it when I did. Why?
Because I learned a lot. Opportunities arose that wouldn’t have otherwise come to light. My growth during this period was tenfold. And…somehow it led me to a new opportunity with the very company I turned down, and I’ve never been happier.
It’s easy to look back on decisions we made in the past and ask ourselves, why did I decide that? Why did I date that person, why did I dress that way, why did I make that choice, thinking it was a good one?
But every decision you make leads you to where you are now, and that’s why you should always have your back on your decisions, even if you wouldn’t choose it again.
Related:
- How to Quit Anything
- 7 Excuses You Need to Stop Making
- The Art of Strategic Decision Making
- 10 Ways to Improve Your Self-Image
Decide from Kindness and Love…and on Purpose
Treat yourself with kindness and love when making decisions. This helps you avoid regret.
And while you’re at it, decide on purpose. Pay attention to how you feel when you make a decision and make it from a place of purpose. If you feel rushed when making the decision, you’re likely making it from a place of scarcity and fear.
Ask yourself: “Am I deciding with fear or confidence in making this decision?”
Decide from a place of confidence and don’t second-guess yourself.
It will be uncomfortable for your brain at first, which is why it’s good to practice with small decisions first, as I mentioned above. When your brain has nothing from the past to compare your decision to, it gets uncomfortable.
Related:
- How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed
- 10 Simple Habits for A Better Day
- Journal Prompts
- How to Change Negative Thinking in 3 Steps
What Would Future You Do?
Ask yourself what your future self five years from now would do when making a decision.
Decide whatever you want, but like your reason.
And whatever you do, don’t decide out of fear or to protect someone’s feelings-not telling the truth and being honest with your decision pertaining to someone’s feelings is a form of manipulation.
You can always re-decide in the future. It doesn’t mean the original decision was wrong.
Making decisions is a form of failing-forward. You have to try in order to fail to figure out what doesn’t work, so you can try again and figure out what does. Decision-making is the same way. Like my example of choosing the wrong company to work for, you may not get it right the first time, but eventually you will. This is why you should always have your back on your decisions and never regret them-it just doesn’t serve you.
Related:
- How to Stop Procrastinating
- Grow You (virtual life coaching)
- Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions
- How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices
Before You Go
Practice making decisions quickly and having your own back on your choices.
Start small, decide on purpose, and always consider what future you five years from now would decide.
Use this formula, and you’ll become better at decision making and reduce the fatigue, overwhelm, and regret that typically comes with making decisions.