Most decisions are actually microchoices, like click on a link or take a sip of coffee. But some options feel transcendental.
An internal tug of war It alerts us that something big is at stake. You feel the choice might significantly affect your happiness, freedom, pride or personal fulfillment.
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If you are running an SME, a business or a company, there are even more decisions to make, and many are essential for the health of your job or business.
The good news? Science continually discovers new and better ways to make difficult decisions.
how do you write Lea Heinrich in the New York Times“In recent decades, a growing multidisciplinary field of research, encompassing areas as diverse as cognitive science, management theory and literary studieshas provided us with a set of tools that we can use to make better decisions«.
Unfortunately, none of these troubleshooting tools can make the decision for you.
«Are hints, tricks, nudges«, He says Heinrich. “They are meant to help him to see the current situation from new insightsto imagine new possibilitiesto weigh your options with more sophistication. There is no foolproof algorithm for life’s tough decisions. But research shows What can you improve in its elaboration?«.
Here are six methods you can rely on when you’re having trouble sleeping due to a challenging decision.
1. Make a «values-based» pros and cons list.
Imagine that you are considering the possibility of moving house. Will you move to another city? Take out a sheet of paper and write a classic list of pros and cons for moving.
Now this is where science has added a useful twist. Assign to each list entry a number from 0 to 1according to your personal values. For example, if being closer to your family is a «worth«which is extremely high on your list, you can score it at 0.9 or 0.95.
If you mentioned «near mountains» as another value, but you are more of a bohemian who loves bars than an alpine hikerthen only you could rate 0.2 or 0.3. Do the same with the «con» side. Quitting a job you love could get you a 0.8, for example, if your career is an essential part of your life.
Add up each side, multiply the result by 100 and see if the side wins or against.
You can too make a separate list of pros and cons to stay where you are. Compare the final values and see how you feel about the result. Often confronting a number «logical«(which was actually loaded with emotions) can illuminate subconscious feelings.
If you see the numbers, but you’re still drawn in the opposite directionworth doing a deeper exploration.
You can also use this technique to smaller, less personal decisionssuch as what project or role to tackle next.
2. Explore future scenarios.
Considering best and worst case scenarios is a common way of making tough decisions.
What is the best future you can imagine? Worst? Y how would you feel if that disastrous scenario came true?
To extend this technique, the psychologist Gary Klein has studied a twist he calls the «premortem«. In a story of Harvard Business ReviewKlein explains why an autopsy is the hypothetical opposite of an autopsy.
“An autopsy in a medical setting allows health professionals and the family know what caused a patient’s death. everyone benefits except of course the patient. An autopsy in a business environment occurs at the beginning of a project and not at the end, so the project can be improved instead of performing an autopsy«.
Imagines your decision was terrible. The project you chose to tackle it was a disaster of accidents and burns. now explore all possible reasons for failure. Once you address this worst case scenario, you can take steps to prevent it and make a better decision in the first place.
In fact, research shows that premortems (also called retrospective prospective) they can increase our ability to identify the causes of future results by 30 percent.
On the other hand, try visualize that epic future scenario and in the best of cases and assess how you feel. If you are not happy or with many emotions on the surface, then it is worth considering why.
amazon uses a variation of both techniques. company developers they must write a hypothetical press release and a FAQ announcement before writing any code.
when working backwardthe team tackle the toughest decisions up front and clarifies the value proposition of the product. As the reporter explains Jillian D’Onfro«if the team unable to present a compelling press releaseprobably the product is not worth making«.
3. Avoid binary options
We often get stuck choosing between this or that. Should I go back to school or start a business? Should I move to Chillán or stay in Santiago?
It’s easy to see the world in black and white, but usually there is a gray option in the middle and if we look closely and lovingly we can see a wide range of beautiful shades of grey.
Perhaps you could spend the summers in Santiago (because it is emptier, less violent, there are more views and it is more walkable) and the winters in Chillán, in the heat of a rich wood stove. Or, you could live in Chillán for a couple of years and return to Santiago in case it eventually becomes necessary later.
Sometimes the right choice is not one of two opposites. is a solution more creative, nuanced or flexible.
4. Consult with others
Sharing your dilemma with others can justify or reinforce a choicebut more importantly, it is a valuable way to gather invaluable information.
If you can’t decide whether to move house, for example, don’t just survey your friends and family (who will also have the skin in your game); talk to someone who made the same move. ask them how do you feel now with about your decision.
For professional or commercial decisions, try hire a consultant. Find people who have in-depth experience in a niche Y learn all you can from them.
The additional information you collecte will almost inevitably help make better decisions in the future.
5. Take enough time
Sometimes complicated decisions are even more so for those conversations that we must hold with the people with whom we interact with and that will also be affected by our decisions: our boss, in the event of a job change; our relatives and friends in the event of a change of house; or our workers, in the event of a major shift in the course of what we do.
If we take the time to think things over, we will go accumulating, not only more information about what we want to do, but we will confront in our imagination who we are going to affect with arguments. We will replay those conversations over and over again in our imaginations.
We are going to acquire the necessary explanations and the others will know that it is not a hasty decision if our arguments are sound; but also; if the decision is maintained over time; you will also know that it is not a capricious madness as few things really stand the test of time.
6. Avoid hidden decisions
For nearly 6,000 years, the First Nations of North America hunted plains buffalo by chasing them off cliffs and finishing the kill below.
This method allowed the tribes collect and store large quantities of meat, leather and fat for the long winter what was coming
I always wondered why so many bison just ran off the cliff. They were usually chased by hunters on horseback, for example, but they were also is an example of herd behavior. All the animals are just following the group, letting the current take them where it wants.
buffalo jumps are a good metaphor for hidden decisions or no decisionswhich we have all experienced at times. When you postpone or delay an important decision, you still you are making a decision, Y is rarely good.
For example, maybe you need to get rid of an employee who torments the others, but put it off to avoid a possible confrontation. If he employee is negative, unpleasant or does not fit their rolethe option of wait and delay can poison the entire team, causing them to drop in performance or start taking stress licenses. Non-decision is a choice with real consequences.
Those 35,000 daily choices can be overwhelming, but quick action is the enemy of decision fatigue. Choose quickly and, whenever possible, tackle your choices head-on. uses all the methods you need to choose the best solution.
Simply don’t follow the pack. Choose what is best for you and then stand firm in your decisions.
one final note: if you have started an SME or launched to create a product (furniture, jewelry, clothing, etc.) and you feel overwhelmed by all the decisions, know in advance that it will become easier as the days go by. Once your business is stable, many of the big fundamental decisions will be made and you will break even.
Then it’s time to focus on limitations. Determine where you can make the most important decisions and shocking and use them for grow or perfect your business.
Remember: the decision-making process gets easier with practiceY a new choice is always just seconds away.