All Photos by Darwin Bell
I used to struggle with decision making: large or small – making a decision was a dreaded task. I marveled at people who made decisions quick and easy, people who didn’t question their choices, and were content with the outcome. To me that felt like an unreachable, but much desired height.
Until one day I observed a friend who was phenomenal at decision making, and after asking a train of questions, grasped this valuable technique.
The key is to create a criteria around decision making, here is how:
1. Decide on a Desired Outcome – list all elements that compose your ideal outcome. Assume that money is no object, and list the things that are important to you. For example, when we were looking to buy a house, there were a number things we wanted our ideal home to have, such as two-stories (for privacy), good schools, open space, yard, new home that would require minimum renovation.
2. Rank Elements – rank the things you want as part of the successful outcome in order of importance (importance is relative to your lifestyle and preferences). In our case it was: 1)Good schools 2)Open Layout and high ceilings 3)Two stories 4)Minimal Renovation before moving in 5)Large Yard.
3. Pick Top Ranked Options - Pick top 3 ranking choices. Surprisingly, for us a large yard ranked very low. While we wanted to have some outdoor space, neither of us wanted anything huge since we didn’t want the hassle of maintaining a large yard, nor do we spend a lot of time at home during the day.
Again, a large yard may be a crucial element for another family, but our decision had to work for us. We felt passionate about having an open layout, since it aligned with our vision to create a free and warm space where we will entertain friends and family.
4. Make Peace with an Imperfecti0n - The likelihood of finding everything you want in most situations, is small to non-existent. The trick is to decide on an option that is the closest to your desired outcome.
5. Review Data Points- now that you created your decision making framework: an ideal outcome, elements that compose an ideal outcome, ranking of these elements in order of importance, take a detailed look at your framework and internalize it.
6. Make An Informed Decision- you’ve done your homework, now it is time to decide on the most applicable option. Applicable to you and your preferences, since criteria that is important to you, may not be important to someone else.
Compare your decision making framework against the potential choices that you have and options that come with each choice.
For example, if we had to choose between two houses, first - one story with an impressive backyard , second – a two-story with a compact backyard; the second house was a better choice for us when evaluated against our decision making framework.
7. Enjoy Your Decision – spend time making the decision, studying alternatives and understanding the outcomes, then once a decision is made, cement the reasons for your decision making in your mind, and don’t question it. Take joy from making an informed and thought through decision and concentrate on seeing all the positives of your particular choice.
Enjoy it, celebrate your choice and your expert decision making skills.
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| What is your biggest hurdle with decision making and how do you overcome it? Do you “live happily ever after” once a decision is made? Or do you mull over what the alternative would be like for days to come? I’d love to hear your thoughts, share in the comments section. |
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