Should I go out with my girlfriends or my boyfriend tonight? Who should I ask to be my project partner? What should I make for dinner? Which pair of shoes should I wear out tonight? How should I tackle my problem?
First of all: your girlfriends > anyone else.
Second of all, does this sound like you? Drowning in your own indecision and struggling to make even simple choices?
Making a decision can sometimes get you feeling all broken up inside, especially if decision making is a source of anxiety for you. But, good decision making isn’t about whether you are a naturally decisive person or not, it is more about being able to balance your options in an effective way.
While you may never be able to fully surpass your indecisive tendencies, you can learn and get better at making choices! Here are 5 simple ways to improve your decision making and move past some of your indecision anxiety:
Table of Contents
1. Trust your First Instinct
As human beings, we all have a certain amount of intuition that pushes us toward what is right and pushes us away from what is wrong.
Trusting your gut is powerful and is a great way to make a decision. It even works well if it’s your last-ditch effort when you need to finalize your choice.
Don’t believe me? Take some time to reflect on decisions you’ve made in the past, particularly ones you made on instinct. Now, determine how may gut-based decisions led to positive outcomes.
I bet your gut was right! So why not trust it more often?
^ Your gut knowing what’s right
2. Know Your Strengths
Learning to become more decisive is not just about rash, gut-made decisions. It is also about weighing the strengths you bring to the decision-making table.
If you’re struggling with figuring out what exactly your unique strengths are, take inventory! List 10 strengths you believe you have and that others have said you have.
Next, go down the list and determine how one of your strengths may lead to a decision. For example, something I am uniquely strong in is my optimism and ability to adapt. When weighing certain decisions I sometimes think that the actual decision does not even matter because I know I will be okay and able to adapt to any situation!
Everyone has strengths, and I promise those strengths can help you get out of a sticky decision-making situation!
3. Visualize Outcomes
Shut your eyes.
Take a deep breath.
Think of the decision at hand, take one path or the other.
What do you see?
Visualization is a strong tool in decision-making because it allows us to use our imagination to embed ourselves in the possible reality of our situation. In turn, it can really allow you to see the clearer choice as well as reassure you that at the end of the day this decision isn’t as dire as you built it up to be in your head.
Let your mind wander and come back to you with the best decision!
4. Come Back to it
While some decisions require fast actions, others allow time for fully thinking them through.
So, take that time! Take a break from the decision at hand and go for a run or get lunch with a friend.
You will come back to the table with a clearer head and most likely, a much better decision!
5. Phone a Friend
At the end of the day, some decisions are just too difficult to make on your own.
But not to worry! This isn’t a bad thing!
Phone a friend or a family member (aka your mom) who knows you and has a good grip on decision-making.
Enlisting a friend’s help is the quickest way to talk it out and get yourself to a decision!
I want to hear from you in the comments below!
Are these tools similar to the ones you use to make decisions? What route do you take? What advice would you give to someone crippled with indecision?
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