Making a decision is the ability to make up your mind when you have to choose among two, or more, options. There are many times when you think of successful people and the way they made those decisions that led to their success. You try to visualize the way they think, how they process all the data and the information they are given and how they make their final decision (both in their professional and personal life).
The decision-making process starts with defining what bothers you. Then, you try and make a list of all the available solutions and you examine the advantages and disadvantages of each choice. Afterward, you select one of those choices and you review its efficiency for your problem. Whether it satisfies you or not, you either move on with it or make any possible adjustments to make the situation better. But, how can you improve your decision-making skills?
Gather as much information as possible
In order to make the right decision, first, you need to have considered all the possible aspects that come with it. And in order to achieve that, you have to gather a sufficient amount of information about the subject of your interest. If you do not follow this practice, you may end up making a wrong decision, just because you did not examine all the factors that could have an impact on your final decision.
Do not rush
The right decision needs some time to be made. You have to take a lot of things under consideration, so do not hurry. Take your time and evaluate every piece of information you have in your hands. Haste may increase your stress and anxiety levels and, therefore, have a negative impact on your decision-making skills. It is a known fact that time is money, but making a hasty decision can cost you more in the future than investing your time now, so as to make the right choice.
Perform an advantages and disadvantages comparison
Every choice is followed by some advantages and disadvantages. Start noting down whatever comes to mind and categorize it under the pros or cons list and examine them before making your final decision, so you know if that particular choice comes with either more pros or cons. In that case, a choice that looked better at first, may not be the ideal one, after analyzing all its parameters.
In case of failure, follow “Plan B”
You need to always have in mind that failure is part of the game. So, a good idea is to always have a spare choice that you could employ in case of an emergency if your first option does not perform the way it was supposed to. Come up with a backup plan that will help you avoid any unpleasant surprises or situations that may come up.
When in doubt, ask for help
If you catch yourself reaching a dead end, do not hesitate to ask someone else’s opinion on the matter. A third person can always provide valuable insight, because they may think of something that you, till this moment, were ignoring. They can provide a different point of view on the matter and help you move on, in case you were stuck.
Making a decision is a tough procedure that may have a high impact on your work or personal life, so follow the aforementioned tips and the risk of making a bad decision in the future will diminish.
