Spoilt for choice: good decisions made easy
Do you often find it difficult to make a decision? Do you endlessly weigh things up and end up putting off making a decision? We present effective methods to strengthen your decision-making skills.
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Why do we often find it so difficult to make a decision?
Deciding means choosing between possibilities and making one option a reality while excluding others. This is often difficult because we have to say goodbye to alternatives. In a complex and uncertain world, the criteria for decisions are often unclear. This can lead to us preferring not to make a decision at all for fear of making mistakes.
Why is it problematic if we can't decide?
Decisions are important to enable progress. If we do not make a decision, nothing happens and we "starve", as in the parable of Buridan's donkey: it could not decide between two haystacks and eventually starved to death.
The paradox of choice in today's society, where there are more options than ever, makes decision-making even more difficult. Too many choices can lead to excessive demands and ultimately to a decision being made too late or not at all.
What characterizes people with a high level of decision-making competence?
People with a high level of decision-making competence make decisions even when information is unclear and ambiguous or when they have to reckon with unpleasant consequences of the decision. As soon as the decision has been made, they do not hesitate or procrastinate, but put their plan into action. They stand behind their decision and do not regret it, even if problems arise.
Head and gut decide
Good access to your own feelings often helps you to make decisions more quickly. Decision options are then evaluated according to emotional impressions and do not require a long mental process. However, emotion-oriented decision-making does not always lead to better results.
Are you facing an important decision and wondering whether you should listen to your gut or your head? First ask yourself: What type of person am I? Do I need figures, data, facts, analyses? Or do you listen to your gut, and if something feels right, do you just decide? No matter which tendency you see in yourself, it often depends on the right mix of both.
Tips to bring your head and stomach into harmony
1. set yourself an appointment
This is particularly important for those with a head on their shoulders: set yourself a deadline by which you have to make a decision. Otherwise you can get lost in the details, especially when there is a lot of data and facts available.
2. meditate
Make your decisions mindfully: take a moment, breathe, listen to yourself and feel which decision is right for you.
3. decide
After you have listened to your gut and your head, make up your mind: delaying or not deciding is useless. A conscious yes or no is the only right way.
4 steps to good decisions: The WRAP process
Before you start the WRAP process, first think about what decision you are currently facing and record it on paper, for example.
Step 1: W (widen your options) - Expand your options
It is usually easier for us to think within a narrow decision-making corridor. However, solutions to a problem often lie outside existing paths. Therefore, in this step, look beyond the immediate and obvious options and creatively overcome apparent boundaries. The alternatives can be crazy and unrealistic - at this point it is not yet a question of evaluation and realization.
Step 2: R (reality-test your assumptions) - Check your assumptions in reality
In this step, you check your assumptions and prejudices that are influencing the decision. We all work with assumptions, but they can also lead us astray. It is therefore important to critically scrutinize your own beliefs and look for clues that could contradict your own assumptions.
Write down which assumptions you think are important for your decision, for example about other people, facts or contexts. There is no right or wrong or good or bad here. It is important that you write everything down as comprehensively as possible.
Step 3: A (attain distance before deciding) - Gain distance before deciding
Now is the time to take a step back and gain some emotional distance. This will allow you to recognize the situation more clearly and fully. It is helpful to either imagine what you would advise a friend in the same situation or what the consequences of the decision would be in the short, medium and long term.
Step 4: Prepare to be wrong
Decisions are not always correct, as developments can be unpredictable or conditions can change. Preparing for the fact that a decision could be wrong has two advantages:
- It lowers expectations and therefore disappointment. You can consider what would be the worst thing that could happen and re-evaluate your options or better bear the burden of a wrong decision.
- It allows you to stay flexible by being prepared to adapt plans or have a plan B ready - even if it's not perfect.
Write this down and feel inside yourself: How does it feel? Do you come to a new assessment of the short, medium and long-term consequences or do you feel that your assessment has been confirmed? Does this reflection lead you to a new aspect that you need to reconsider? Or do you now see more clearly how you want to decide?
Taking a realistic look at your options and the possibility of being wrong gives you the courage to make a decision - and not to regret it.
