Making Better Decisions
Decisions, decisions!
We make dozens everyday. Little ones like whether to put PB or jam on our
bagel. And, less frequently big ones like should I break up with my significant
other?
Here are a couple of thoughts
to help with the “bigger†decisions.
Make Sure Your Deciding at the Right “Levelâ€
Frequently we narrow
our decision possibilities. For example, we pose questions like “what car should I buy?†Notice how that
narrows our thinking, so we’re only focused on cars. What about doing what we
call moving up a level. So, we move from a focus on a specific kind of
transportation device to the more general category of transportation. The
question then becomes “what’s the best
transportation for me?†Doing that opens possibilities. Possibilities like
taking the bus, buying a scooter. So, when you have a big decision to make see
if changing the level from general to more specific or from specific to general
makes the decision better.
Untangle Related Decisions
Sometimes, two or more
decisions are tangled together because they’re ‘related’. For example, suppose
you and your significant other have been living together and now have to move.
You’re struggling with whether to move with her or move alone. You’ve really
got two decision mashed together which makes it really hard to decide. Pull
them apart. Focus on the relationship decision first. Making that decision will
then make the choice of home a lot clearer and easier. Why focus on the
relationship decision first? Because the other decision is ‘dependent’ on it. So,
make it first. By the way, relationship decisions ARE tough to make. I’m not
sure I have any wisdom to share in that area, so please chime in!
What’s helped you make better decisions? Add
your comments at my blog.
