We make decisions every day, from what we’re going to wear to how to approach a complex task at work. Decisions are a normal part of everyday life. However, our brain’s decision-making battery has finite power, and it can deplete rapidly. What does that mean, exactly? Essentially, the more decisions we make, the more likely we are to experience decision fatigue. It can become especially tricky to make good decisions in this state.
That’s why it’s important to have a process that helps prevent unnecessary decision fatigue, and also a means to help reduce stress related to all the decisions we make. Put simply, the less stress we have, the easier it is for us to make good decisions.
How to Make Good Decisions
1. Be prepared for most eventualities.
Stress often occurs when we’re faced with an unexpected situation. While there is no denying that sometimes things happen without warning, more often than not, there are plenty of tell-tale signs.
This interesting article by Psychology Today, for instance, taps into the recession situation and how it affects the employment market. If employees stay up on the news and are aware of the risks on the horizon, they have plenty of time to prepare by following the tips shared in the article.
This reduces the likelihood of being surprised, and therefore, reduces stress associated with decision making. That ups the odds of us being able to make good decisions.
How do you prepare for all eventualities? In practice, it’s not always possible, but in theory, it’s a matter of doing your research and having a plan B.
2. Make good decisions by prioritizing based on importance.
Prioritization is a two-step business process that can be applied to any area of our lives. The process is designed to identify the order in which tasks should be done. We can apply this principle to our personal lives to understand which big decisions are most important.
Prioritization is also useful because it helps us to step back from the decision turmoil and identify more objectively what truly matters the most.
Another interesting aspect of the prioritization process is the assignment phase, during which a manager assigns the task by order of importance to the team.
Even in our day-to-day life, we can assign small decisions to those around us to preserve our decision-making battery. Let others decide what’s for dinner.
Delegate choosing your next vehicle to your spouse. Ask your kids to pick out some potential vacation destinations or outings.
3. Talk about decisions with a friend.
When making big decisions, it can be helpful for us to talk to a trusted friend.
Indeed, they may have a different perspective, helping us see things in a new light. Having conversations with someone close to us also gives us the chance to put our thoughts into words. This, in and of itself, can be all we need to begin to see our choice more clearly.
A friend won’t be worried about giving us feedback and voicing their opinions.
While the decision is still ours to make, discussing it with someone else can reduce the stress of having to decide alone.
4. Give yourself the right not to decide.
Do you have to decide on everything? Big decisions, of course, require your input. But if we handle them all ourselves, we may deplete our decision-making battery long before we get to the most important decisions.
Steve Jobs famously had a limited wardrobe so he wouldn’t waste his energy deciding what to wear in the morning.
At one point in his life, he followed a strict all-fruit diet. His meals were small and simple, and there is a huge chance that those meals probably contributed to some of Apple’s most innovative products by freeing up Jobs’ decision-making battery.
How to Make Good Decisions
Big decisions are stressful. So, it’s important we all do what we can to reduce anxiety when we’re faced with them. When we know we’re heading into a time when decision making will be frequent, or as we approach significant decision points in our lives, this advice can help us to feel better and ultimately, make good decisions.
Thank you as always for reading.
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Joan Senio is the founder of KindCompassCoach. Her career includes 20+ years as a health care executive and 15 years (and counting) as a consultant. The common thread through Joan’s professional life has been a commitment to lead, mentor and coach current and future leaders, and women from all walks of life. KindCompassCoach provides information and advice grounded in Joan’s personal experience; however, all articles are backed by research and provide facts and advice from a wide variety of experts. Joan also serves as a thought-leader for KuelLife.com and is a regular contributor to PsychReg and Sixty and Me.
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