how to make decisions with ease

It is estimated that we make up to 1000 decisions every day, from the moment we decide to open our eyes, get out of bed or have ‘five more minutes’, to the moment we decide to let the day go and drift to sleep. 

The more tired we become as the day wears on, the more prone we are to taking risks or making no decision at all – it’s the brain’s way of coping with the overload.  Perhaps Scarlett O’Hara wasn’t just procrastinating in Gone with the Wind, when she exclaimed, ‘I can’t think about that now – I’ll think about it tomorrow’.  Maybe she’d reached her quota of sensible decisions for the day.

Instinct plays a strong part in decision-making, too.  There are times when we ‘smell a rat’ or something ‘just doesn’t feel right’ and we make a conscious choice based on sensations that are difficult to articulate.  It’s only later that our reactions make sense.

It is said that the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers ten years ago – in fact, all four of the hijacked planes on 9/11- had unusually low numbers of passengers.  People who changed their plans and didn't fly spoke of a ‘feeling of unease’ about taking the journey. 

Similarly, some scientists have observed that trains that are destined to crash often contain fewer passengers than normal.  Rumour has it that there was a sense of foreboding amongst the crew and flight engineers prior to the 2000 crash of the Air France Concorde...

All decision-making doesn’t come from the head.  The heart and gut both contain neurons and ‘talk’ with the brain by releasing chemicals and communicating via nerves.  When we say we made a decision ‘from the heart’ and when we have a ‘gut reaction’ to something, it’s worth paying attention to these sensations.

Here are some factors that cause indecision or poor choices:

• Ensuring everything is ‘right’ before taking action.  Waiting for the ‘perfect time’.  (Procrastinating, and holding onto a need for certainty and control).
• Placing too much emphasis on others’ opinions, or 'what other people will think' when making a decision.
• Not learning from the past.
• Ignoring instinct.
• Seeking instant gratification without paying attention to long-term consequences.
• Avoiding risk – wanting to ‘stay safe’. 

Better decisions arise when you:

• Confidently use your experience.  If you’ve tried something before and it didn’t work, try something else.
• Make big decisions when your mind is fresh, rested and in a ‘rational’ state.
• Listen to your head, heart and gut
• Invest minimally in decisions that really don’t matter – which colour, what food, what clothes.  Save the mental effort for things that count.
• Gather enough information, then act.  Avoid becoming stuck in the ‘information gathering’ cycle (‘I’ll just do a little more research, then decide...’) which can go on indefinitely and prevent you from making any progress.  
• Engage with calculated risk
• Once you’ve decided to do something – take massive action. Throw yourself into it and stick with it, making minor adjustments to your trajectory as you go along.

Or perhaps you could try out the ‘Disney Creativity Strategy’.  Take your idea and think about it from the perspective of three different ‘rooms’.

In the Dream Room...

Create possibilities.  Here you are the visionary, seeing the big picture, and there is no restraint on your creativity.  Dream BIG.  Anything is possible.

Ask, ‘What do I want?’

In the Realist Room...

Organise your plans and evaluate what is realistically possible, think constructively and devise an action plan. 

Ask, ‘What will I do to make these plans a reality?’

In the Critic Room...

Test your plan.  Look for problems, difficulties and unintended consequences.  Think of what could go wrong, what is missing and what this might cost you.

Ask: ‘What could go wrong?’

Whichever way you reach a decision, once you've made it - let go of the 'what ifs?' and alternatives, look forward and GO FOR IT!