5 Steps to Come up With a Good Decision

Lisa Franchi August 11, 2014

Our day to day life is mostly centred on making a bunch of decisions. What time will I wake up? What will I eat for breakfast? Should I go to work even if I’m not feeling well? Will I attend my friend’s birthday party? Will I forgive my partner? Small or big – our daily decisions can have a huge impact on our life, health and wellbeing.

Decision-making is sometimes easy, and other times, not. It gets harder when the options you’ve got don’t seem to align with your ideals and values, and what your ultimate goals are. Perhaps you have experienced being confronted with only two options, neither of which you like.

Making decisions, particularly those that have a long-term impact on our lives, necessitate time and analysis. And part of the process is letting go of the ‘perfect picture’ we hope to achieve. Another is carefully assessing the options we have and choosing the one which is most applicable to the situation we’re in and the goals we want to achieve.

Here are the steps to follow to make this part easier.

Write down all your options.

It doesn’t matter if you write it down on a piece of paper, on your notepad, or in your mind. The most important thing is that you figure out what your options really are. Don’t dismiss one just yet. You’ll never know what the best way to go is until you have carefully analysed each option, especially their pros and cons. Citing the benefits and advantages is a good way to know which is less or more risky. For instance, you might be overwhelmed with a job offer that pays three times higher than your current job. However, the salary is not the only factor to consider. Other factors may include the location, the responsibilities, appropriateness with your skill level, and so on.

Envision the future if you chose such option.

The decisions we make today are crucial to what our future will be like. So it is also important that we envision what the outcome will be in the coming months or years. Yes it’s true – you cannot predict the future. But you can visualise it. If you feel good about a decision when you visualise the future, it is probably the right option to choose.

Know the worst possible outcome.

Many people are unable to decide because they are filled with worries and fears. Thinking about the worst possible outcome is especially helpful if you are confronted with anxiety-provoking decisions. For instance, if you consider the worst possible scenario and realise that it’s not as bad as you think, you will feel less stress and more confident about making a decision.

Be kind to yourself.

Help yourself make the right decision just as you would help a dear friend. Sometimes, we tend to be harsh to ourselves and gentle and kind to other people. Treat yourself like you treat your best friend. This way, you can arrive at decisions that best promote your interest without harming your wellbeing.

Assess whether it’s the right thing to do.

There are areas where compromise yields significant benefits. However, you should never put into compromise your values, your character, or your integrity. Just like what others say “you can’t go wrong by going right.”