He makes the decision. How to learn to make decisions correctly

Don't lose it. Subscribe and receive a link to the article in your email.

When we, to some extent, influence our destiny. And, of course, they are interested in making the choice optimal. That is why it is important to use different tools that will help predict the positive and negative consequences of making a particular decision.

Why do people make bad decisions?

This is not such a simple question if you think about it. You can, of course, get away with the banal: “People are stupid.” But even smart, talented, experienced people make bad decisions. That's why:

Lack of time
Relying on a single source of information
Emotional experiences
A large number of thoughts about the problem
Failure to notice alternatives and new opportunities
Lack of knowledge and clarity
Underestimating the amount of time needed to make the right decision
Reassessment of your own skills, knowledge, abilities and resources
Fear of making the wrong decision

All these barriers prevent you from making the right decision. And if they work in tandem, trio or quartet, then the situation gets even worse. How to overcome them?

Practice 360-degree thinking

Thoughts influence emotions, emotions influence decisions, and decisions influence actions. And each link in this chain can be optimally configured.

360-degree thinking consists of three critical components, which are also methods. They can be used to effectively analyze a situation, after which it becomes easier to make the right decision.

These are the components:

A look into the past.
Foresight.
Insight.

By using all three of these thinking methods, you view your life from a 360-degree perspective. That is, they work best together.

A look into the past

Looking into the past (aka retrospective analysis) will help you critically evaluate your past. This allows you to comprehensively understand a situation that has already occurred in order to improve your future decisions.

It is useful because it helps you learn from mistakes, problems, failures and past successes. As a result of this learning experience, you can adjust your course of action to move forward much faster.

If you don't know or have never done self-reflection, then this is a very suitable case. Take time to review the decisions you made yesterday. Ask yourself:

What did I do yesterday?
What decisions did I make?
What problems did you encounter?
How did I deal with these problems?
How did I deal with the problems that arose when I encountered a problem?
How does this make me feel?
From what other point of view can I look at my yesterday's problems?
What can I learn from yesterday's experience?
What could I have done differently?
What do I need to improve to deal with this problem more effectively next time?

Please note, this is not simply scrolling through negative thoughts (which is what you usually do), but self-reflection. You ask yourself the right questions, provide answers, and figure out what you can do better next time. Now you are more aware of what decisions you are making and in what state you are making.

From now on, you will begin to approach your problems and decision-making more consciously, and not on autopilot. Next time there is a greater chance of doing everything right. In other words, you drew the right conclusions from past experience - this is what all successful people do.

It should be remembered that you should not use the past to make decisions in the future. Each situation is unique in its own way. What works today may not work tomorrow. But the process of self-reflection itself is very useful because it forces you to reflect on your thinking, actions and decisions.

Foresight

Foresight is the ability to predict future events, changes, trends and the consequences of one's actions. Moreover, it is the ability to explore alternative scenarios that could potentially unfold.

This mindset is useful because it helps you see and predict what might be ahead. Therefore, you will be better able to identify opportunities and make much less mistakes when making decisions.

Foresight works great in tandem with hindsight. This way, you can use the past as a barometer to predict the future and therefore make better decisions.

Developing foresight requires learning to successfully address potential threats and identify your needs early. This is planning, as well as gathering the necessary resources that will help in the future.

Ask yourself the following questions:

How will this decision affect the future?
How will this decision affect my future decisions?
What are the consequences of making this decision?
What options will I have after making this decision?
What problems will arise?
What if everything goes wrong? How will I react?
What is my plan B and C?
What happens if...?

Foresight is not an exact science. It's more of a game where you try to use a combination of lessons learned from the past and ideas from the present to make the best decision.

By considering these two factors, you can generate possible future scenarios that will help you make better decisions.

Insight

Insight is the ability to discern the true nature of a situation. This is the ability to understand your situation, as well as cause-and-effect relationships. In other words, it is about gaining an accurate understanding of the people, events and circumstances in your life.

Insight is often the catalyst for creativity, innovation and inspiration. This is what brings out those “Eureka!” moments, when all the puzzle pieces suddenly come together into something that makes sense. It's like you've come out of a fog and are now finally seeing things in a whole new way that opens up a world of new possibilities.

However, it is worth saying that the ideas that come to your mind are nothing more than an interpretation of reality based on past experiences, as well as perceptions and expectations of the future. In short, real insight only comes when you have mastered the other two ways of thinking.

The best entrepreneurs and politicians in the world have this skill. To master it, you need to read a lot, understand people and be curious. But even this is not enough. You need to learn to understand your thinking patterns, get rid of cognitive distortions, be in a conscious state and see the essence of things. In a sense, we are talking about intuition.

Start by becoming more observant of what is happening around and within you. Notice the world around you and ask deep questions about yourself, others, and the circumstances in which you find yourself. For example:

Why do I do what I do? Why does this matter to me?
What do others need? Why is this important to them?
What's happening? Why is this happening? What does it mean?
What is the problem? How did this become a problem? Why is it still a problem?
Why are the circumstances the way they are and not others?
How did this happen and why does it matter?
What is the value of knowing this? How does this knowledge change my perspective?
What's another way to look at this situation? Why is it important?
Why did this happen? What led to this? What happened before this? Is there a connection?
How are these two events related? Why are they connected in this way?
How was this done? Who did it? Could it have been different?

If you start asking these and similar questions, you will become very attentive and observant. Tyrion Lannister, if you like, who often asked himself what others needed and carefully analyzed the events of his life and the world around him.

You will learn to understand why things are the way they are and how they could potentially be different. In fact, you cease to be a passive observer. As a result, you begin to think critically about yourself, about others, and about the circumstances with which you are dealing. All this stimulates the emergence of deeper thoughts, allowing you to draw conclusions in situations that you have never considered before. This opens up new levels of understanding.

There are situations when the solution lies on the surface, you just need to extend your hand. Others are complex and consist of many factors. To make the right decision, you need to use 360-degree thinking, looking at the problem from all sides. It won’t happen right away, but certain results will be visible after the first use of this technique.

Practice step-by-step decision making process

Step One: Get Clear on What You Want

Your first step is to clearly understand your desired outcome and identify the resources needed to achieve that outcome. Ask yourself:

What is my desired outcome?
What exactly would I like to achieve?
What might be required to achieve this result?
How should I prioritize my efforts?

Understanding what result you want to achieve is important because it (understanding) helps direct all efforts towards achieving one goal. Then you will be able to make more effective decisions.

Step Two: Take Action to Achieve Your Desired Results

When you don't quite understand how to get to your desired destination, it's easy to panic. However, the important thing is that you take the first step.

You only need to take one step that will move you a little closer to your desired result. There is likely still a lot of fog ahead, but it is clear that this action is necessary. For example, if you're looking to buy a car and are completely overwhelmed by the number of options, your first step might be to read car-specific forums. By learning to understand the topic, you can make a more informed decision.

In any complex decision, there are always several actions that you can start with. At some point you will make progress and the next steps will become more obvious.

Step Three: Track Your Results

You should always be vigilant about what works and what doesn't work. There is no point in wasting valuable time on ineffective tools.

However, to start measuring progress, you need to understand what exactly you will be measuring. Ask yourself the following questions:

How will I know I'm moving in the right direction?
How exactly will I measure my progress?
How will I know that I have achieved my goal?

The more clarity you have about where you are in the process, the better the decision.

Step Four: Stay Flexible in Your Decision Making

The action plan will always be reworked, because it is impossible to predict all the factors in this absurd world. Therefore, you must be flexible in your decisions and actions at all times. Keep your long-term goals in mind at all times to help you stay on track.

Ask yourself:

What results do I want to achieve?
What am I doing now?
Is my current action getting me closer to results?
Is this the best way to do this?
What should I change to get better results?

Don't lose your temper if things don't go as planned. This is fine. Find out why you veered off course, be curious rather than annoyed. With the curiosity of a scientist, ask yourself questions and look for optimal solutions.

Complete decision making process

The previous point was rather preparatory and theoretical. Here we will talk about the complete decision-making process. It will require significantly more time, which means it needs to be used if the problem facing you is really important.

Step One: Get Clarity

Let's first understand the importance of the decision you are about to make. Ask yourself:

What are the options?
What decision should I ideally make?
Why is this decision so important?
How will it help me?
How important is this decision for my loved ones?
Can it change my life?
Do other people understand the importance of this decision?

It is worth being clear about the importance of the decision you are about to make because it will help determine how much effort and time you will spend.

Step Two: Gather the Facts and Explore Options

Sometimes a decision requires collecting a lot of information. And, if it is important to you, then you need to allocate enough time to it.

Once you've gathered all the information you need, take the time to consider possible ways forward. Ask yourself:

What decision can I make?
What actions can I take?
What options are there?
What will I need?

For one solution you may need money, help from other people and a lot of time. For others - a lot of work and patience. What will be best for you?

It's time to look at the pros and cons of each solution option. Ask yourself:

What are the benefits of this course of action?
What are the disadvantages?
What are the advantages of one option over the other?

As you ask yourself these questions, think about the sacrifices you will have to make in the first and second case. They may not be obvious: sometimes you can ruin relationships with others by making decisions that do not affect them.

It all basically comes down to opportunity cost. Taking one course of action may prevent you from taking another, and there may be advantages and disadvantages to different options.

Step Four: Determine the Worst-Case Scenario

Remember Murphy's Law: “If something bad can happen, it will happen.” Take it into account whenever you make a decision.

Ask yourself, “What is the worst that could happen if I make this decision. How will I deal with the consequences?

Of course, the worst case scenario may not always happen. But you need to be prepared for it. At least psychologically. After weighing the pros and cons and figuring out what worst-case scenarios await you, make a decision. But remember that it should be flexible so that if something goes wrong, you can quickly rebuild and update your action plan.

Step Five: Learn from Experience

You made a decision and now you either reap the rewards of your efforts or regret your mistakes. In any case, all this is an experience that needs to be appreciated. Ask yourself:

What did I learn from this experience?
What have I learned about how I make decisions?
Was this decision completely in harmony with my personality and my values?
Have I achieved the desired result?
Did I adjust my actions when I encountered problems?

There are many questions you could ask yourself. So please don't limit yourself to just these. Think of others you might ask, especially after mistakes, defeat, or failure.

We wish you good luck!

How often do we think: “If only we knew where to fall...”. How sometimes we regret unused opportunities or wrong actions. Everyone would like to know and understand how to make the right decision that would lead along the right path to the intended goal. However, we sometimes forget about the most important things. About what is ours

personality is in constant development. Solving new problems, facing unusual and unusual circumstances, we change. This means that goals, values, and priorities also do not stand still. They change with us. That is why the question of how to make the right decision is better posed for the “here and now”, and not looking ahead, and even more so

The author had the opportunity to talk with many people who sometimes found themselves at difficult crossroads in life. And this is what is typical for those who gave the impression of a self-confident, accomplished person - they did not regret the past! Not even if I had to change my way of life, country, or field of activity many times. They didn’t revel in self-pity if they had to lose all their property and start all over again. Therefore, in order to understand how to make the right decision, you need to clearly understand: a lot depends on us, but not everything. What seems right at a certain moment may turn out to be a mistake. That's why more

Most of all, inflexible people who suffer from failures find it difficult to adapt and act according to circumstances. But our path is not always smooth and spacious. Therefore, the first piece of advice is to relieve yourself of the burden of excessive responsibility. A person is designed in such a way that in any situation he can find both joy and disappointment. Even if you have achieved your "goal", it may always seem that "the palace is too small and the molasses is too sweet."

So, which one you won't regret? First of all, try to trust fate and intuition. Very often we hesitate and doubt if there is some difference, for example, between reason and feelings, between desires and duty. But this situation is also an incentive for development. And intuition, which we often underestimate or drown out, is what helps us make the right decision. You should not think that this is something supernatural, a “voice from above.” It’s more likely that your subconscious processes the situation in its own way. Our elementary, physiological reactions often tell us where we will feel good and where we won’t feel so good. For example, if you are looking for a new job, listen to your intuition. If a conversation with your future boss puts you in a positive mood, this is a good start. But if the building itself, the atmosphere reigning there, the appearance and manner of communication of the employees cause tension and depressing, if you do not feel comfortable in this place - perhaps this is a warning.

How to make the right decision in your personal life? The advice is the same. Don't try to reason, plan, think in lofty categories. Just feel the situation, immerse yourself in your feelings. The first minutes often decide how communication with this or that person will turn out. And if we are comfortable, we feel safe, this means this relationship has a future. And vice versa, if it is difficult for us to find common themes, if we are constrained, but, for example, the thought has stuck in our minds that this is an excellent game, try to trust our intuition. We live with the person, and not with his status, money or position in society.

Another technique will tell you how to learn to make the right decisions. This method can be called “look into the future.” The point is to try to imagine the possible development of events in as much detail as possible,

which will follow your choice. Are you offered a job, but you don't know whether to take it? Imagine yourself in this place in as much detail and color as possible in a year, two, five. What does your typical working day look like, how do you dress, how do you relax? Do you enjoy entering the office or do you try to come up with excuses to avoid appearing there as little as possible? By imagining this, you subconsciously prepare yourself to make a decision.

And perhaps the most well-known and effective method is to “sleep” with the problem. By asking yourself a question in the evening before going to bed, in the morning you will receive a ready answer. The subconscious or intuition will do all the work for you. Sometimes a conversation with a disinterested stranger helps. By speaking out loud all your arguments and doubts, you thereby come to a decision. Good luck to you!

Making decisions is not easy. When you are at a crossroads, alternative options make it difficult to make a choice. If you follow reason, the right decision can be made in a matter of minutes. After reading the article to the end, you will learn about an unusual technique that helps thousands of businessmen and people of different professions and provides clear methods that will help you understand how to make the right decisions in life.

Every moment of our life depends on the decisions that we are forced to make in a given situation. Making the right decisions is important, especially in those moments when you need to give new impetus, direction and meaning to your life. It doesn’t matter what it is - work or personal life, career development or everyday issues. These decisions change our lives, careers or relationships. Rotate everything 360 degrees. Even when we don't choose, we actually make decisions. More-less.

On the one hand, modern society has widely spread the opinion that man himself is the creator of his own future, on the other hand, the choice process is associated with tossing, headaches and thoughts about responsibility for possible consequences. Sometimes it is very difficult to make the right choice. You can easily be overwhelmed by millions of doubts that slow down the decision-making process. And internal conflicts that come from outside prevent the mind from seeing the right path. For this reason, people are constrained by fear - because of possible failures and wrong choices.

Those who want to immediately take control of their life and control it should take note of several methods that will help them make decisions in life.

The first step is to get in touch with your self. Here it is important to “disconnect” from various influences and influences from the outside world - to stop listening to the advice and recommendations of other people.

The heart will tell you the right path. People prone to rationalization will, of course, struggle when making important decisions. Because most often they prefer to listen to the brain, analyze the advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, this leads to a loss of the emotional impulse that can animate any choice. Choosing based on a rational approach is useful when it is necessary to minimize risks.

Therefore, it is important to listen to your inner voice, this makes it possible to make the right decisions. Typically, financially secure and wealthy people have always faced difficult situations and choices. But they had courage and courage, making important decisions, going against everyone, but with a smile on their faces and listening to their hearts.

2. Listen to your intuition

Besides the heart, there is a part of one's personality called intuition.
It gives us an endless supply of ideas and information that can be used in further thinking. For example, have you noticed that when you meet a stranger, suddenly an insight and a spontaneous decision seem to come to you. It is important not to miss this moment. After all, this is possible, this is a sign indicating that you are on the right path.

Even when you don't choose, you still make a choice.

“Delaying a decision is a decision in itself.”

Frank Barron

Many people tend to believe that refusing to make a decision is a choice. But in fact, when making decisions and making choices, you understand that you are alive, only you are the masters of your destiny. Therefore, it is important to take responsibility, overcome uncertainty and fears and make some decisions.

Even if you are afraid of making the wrong choice, it is preferable to make it anyway. This is only your own accumulated experience that will help you make the right decisions in the future.

3. Correct goal setting

In order to focus on your goal and make decisions correctly, you need to create and develop a plan in advance to achieve it. An excellent option and exercise for achieving your goals is the SMART technology. This way your thoughts will be organized faster and you will be able to make the right decision. Try to be more specific and describe everything as clearly as possible. Thus, a clear goal setting and a structured plan will help you quickly make a life-changing decision.

4. Make a list of priorities

Before asking others for help, it can be helpful to try to develop your list and choices into a hierarchy. For example, the primary needs are to earn more and less important ones are proximity to the place of work. All this is important when you decide to quit or change your job to another.

To make the right decision, it is important to determine what things are preventing you from being happy and, secondly, implement the right strategies to remove the barriers. And if the ultimate goal is to eliminate these external factors that prevent us from living peacefully, then it is necessary to change the way we think and act.

5. Analyze the pros and cons

As the wise say: follow your heart. However, one should never forget about the aspects of rational choice. It is necessary to correctly assess the possible consequences. Therefore, it is necessary to write down all the pros - “what you will get if you make this or that choice” and all the cons. Many people find this exercise very useful in finding the right solution. This way, you will quickly realize which obstacles and difficulties outweigh any benefits of the choice and will be able to make decisions correctly.

7. Avoid hasty decision-making

Following your heart and intuition does not mean making hasty decisions based on immediate emotions. As a rule, such decisions are not dictated by reason, but by desperation, disappointment, anger or anxiety. It is important to make decisions in quiet moments, when the mind is able to reason calmly and clearly.

It is also important in such moments to distinguish between what really deserves your thoughts and what is simply clouding your thoughts.

It is good to listen to other people's opinions, but in any case the final decision must be made with complete autonomy, a clear mind and consciousness. Whatever choices you make, it is always worth remembering that they do not determine the entire course of life.

9. Compass technique

The compass technique will help with this. This technique is usually taught in business and management courses. This technique will help you weigh all your decisions and look at them differently, outside the box.

In fact, the “compass” method is much simpler than it might seem. In order to make a decision, you must:

Write five simple questions on paper.
Choose one of six possible alternative actions.

To get started, you need to ask five questions to make the right decision.

Every time you have to make an important decision, take out a piece of paper, a notepad, a digital journal, or a personal journal. On a blank page, write the following questions.

Where are you from? Your place of residence, registration and place of residence does not matter here! Write on a white sheet of paper: What are you doing today? Who are you at the moment? Where are you now. If you are at a crossroads in life, write down some decisions and possible events that could change your life.
What really matters to you? Write four things in a notebook that will never make you give up. What were the key moments, turning points in your life? What has helped you in life and why your life will never be the same again.
What makes you act and move forward? What motivates you to make specific decisions?
Who are the people who are important to you? Who is able to influence vital decisions? Who do you trust? Who makes you go to great deeds and act, create, work?
What's stopping you? What's scary about a decision to take? What obstacles, situations or people get in the way and keep you from achieving your goal?

Are you done answering questions? Have you written everything down? Now let's move on to the next point - a description of the concept map. To do this, we will need to highlight the keywords that characterize all your answers.

The next step is to estimate the number of options for action. To structure your notes, you can use either a regular notepad, the MindNode program or the MindMeister application.
So, we write down six alternative courses of action proposed by the “compass” decision-making model. Answering all of these questions will help you gain clarity and make a well-thought-out decision.

A solution that fascinates and inspires you. Which decision has the biggest impact on you? Let's say that in the past the most important thing for you was new people and the experience you gained. This is probably the right path for you today. Meeting new people, expanding new connections, networking, partnerships and finding like-minded people.
The rational way. What do people you trust offer you? Are they more experienced and wiser?
The dreamer's path. It's all about a life that fascinates you. This path is not the easiest. It may be in line with your values, aspirations and beliefs, but keep in mind that you must be motivated and have strong beliefs that will help you achieve your goals.
A solution that may be the least common. If your days are boring, suffocating, and Groundhog Day-like, then you may want to take an unconventional path to decision-making.
The most common solution. If you are a conservative person, the main thing for you is customs and habits, then this option is the best for you. For example, you are in a relationship with someone (whether personal, business, partnership), you understand that you must make a choice: continue it or go on a new adventure. Therefore, it is important to evaluate our values and the people we love. If they don't intersect in any way, then maybe it's time to go their separate ways. This happens when we need to compromise, to make choices in favor of what is truly important to us, when we act out of fear of not living up to the expectations of someone we respect.
Return trip. It's kind of like taking a step back and redesigning your goals. You just need to settle accounts with the past, and then a new, previously unexplored road will open up. For example, you are deciding whether to close a project that does not produce the expected results. Are we then faced with a dilemma? On the one hand, how to quit if for one or two years we have been living and breathing what we love. On the other hand, if the project does not bring results, we are forced to invest time and other resources. Therefore, when there is not enough motivation to continue the project, you need to carefully evaluate the return paths, that is, think about closing the ongoing project.

The “compass” technique helps you make one or more options for the right decision.

10. “Descartes Square” method

The “Descartes Square” technique will allow you to look at the issue comprehensively and help you make a decision without focusing on one factor.

In order to make decisions using this method, you need to ask four questions that can be added to the matrix for ease of perception. Questions:

What happens if the event happens? (positive sides)
What happens if the event doesn't happen? (positive sides)
What will not happen if the event occurs? (negative sides)
What will not happen if the event does not happen? (negative aspects, what we won't get)

By answering these questions, it will be easier to weigh the pros and cons and make the right decisions at important moments.

11. “Glass of water” method

This method was developed by Jose Silva. This researcher wrote many books and studied the possibilities of controlling the mind and destiny, various methods of visualization and predictions.

The Glass of Water method is based on the assertion that water “records” information. Recent research by scientists confirms this. And since humans are made mostly of water, perhaps water can help answer some questions. So, let's look at the method.

Before going to bed, you need to pour clean water into a glass. Then take a glass of water in your hands, close your eyes, concentrate and ask a question that requires a decision. Then drink half a glass of water in small sips, saying, “That’s all it takes to make the right decision.” Then open your eyes, put the glass in which the water remains near the bed and fall asleep. After waking up, you need to finish the water and thank you for finding the right solution. The answer will come either immediately or unexpectedly within a day.

So, we have looked at examples of ways and methods that can be used when making important decisions.

When making an important decision, always keep one important thing in mind: never forget who you are and what you want from life. Choose, taking into account your values and goals, do not let indecision and fear deprive you of something important in life! And always remember: there are no wrong decisions, you can always find a way to fix it! Now you are just one step away from making the right decision that could be a turning point in your life, so don't be afraid to make decisions!

What should you do if you are a leader and you are faced with a difficult choice? Remember, as in a fairy tale: execution cannot be pardoned, dismissal cannot be left, and it is unclear where to put a comma. In this article we will talk about several ways to make the right decision. This will help not only businessmen, but also ordinary people who find themselves in a difficult situation.

If you are trapped

Usually, making a difficult decision is necessary in a difficult life situation. Stress affects a person in different ways: some withdraw into themselves, some worry and don’t sleep at night, some become hysterical and take it out on loved ones. One thing remains unchanged: a person seems to fall into the trap of his own psyche; he is often unable to make a choice on his own and acts under the influence of emotions or his close environment. Time shows that impulsive and ill-considered decisions are ineffective and can ruin your business, your career, your relationships, in the end. Remember: all serious decisions are made with a cool head. Therefore, before you put into practice the methods described below, do this: turn off your heart and turn on your head. We'll show you how.

There are several ways to pacify emotions:

short term - breathe correctly. Take 10 deep, slow breaths - this will help you calm down;
medium-term - imagine that your friend finds himself in such a situation and asks you for advice. What will you tell him? Surely throw away all emotions and try to look at the situation detachedly, objectively. So try it;
long-term - take a time out. Just let the situation go for a while, do other things, and come back to it after a week or month. This way you will kill two birds with one stone: firstly, you will cut off impulsive decisions and will not cut from the shoulder. And secondly, the right decision will ripen in your head like a ripe fruit - you just need to give it time.

Now that emotions no longer influence your choices, let's talk about eight reliable methods for making decisions.

1. Pros and cons method

Use the good old method: take a sheet of paper and a pen, draw the sheet in half. In the left column write all the advantages of the chosen solution, in the right column - respectively, the disadvantages. Don't limit yourself to just a few items: there should be 15-20 items on the list. Then calculate what will be more. Profit!

The essence of the methoda: even if you endlessly scroll through the pros and cons in your head, you are unlikely to see the full picture. Psychologists advise making written lists: this helps to organize the accumulated information, visually see the relationship between pros and cons, and draw a conclusion based on pure mathematics. Why not?

2. Create habits

This method is suitable if it is difficult for you to make a choice in everyday matters. For example, to increase the salary of a new employee, or if it’s not worth it yet, put it on the website or another company. What to eat for dinner, in the end, French fries or fish with vegetables. A difficult decision, of course, but still not a matter of life and death. In this case, it is useful to consciously create habits for yourself and follow them in the future. For example, introduce an iron rule: increase employee salaries only after six months of working in your company. Buying office supplies exclusively from Skrepka is cheaper. Eating light and healthy dishes for dinner will soon thank you. Well, with the call back you get it, yes.

The essence of the method: following habits, you will make simple decisions automatically, saving yourself from unnecessary thoughts, without wasting precious time on nonsense. But then, when you need to make a truly responsible and important choice, you will be fully armed.

3. “If-then” method

This method is suitable for resolving current problems in business, team, and personal life. For example, your employee speaks impolitely to customers and does not respond to comments. Question: Should I fire him immediately or try to re-educate him? Try using the “if-then” technique. Tell yourself: if he again mistreats a client, you will deprive him of his bonus. If the incident happens again, fire me.

The essence of the method:as in the first case, this is the creation of conditional boundaries within which you will act. The burden will immediately be lifted from the soul, and life will become much easier. And most importantly, you don’t have to waste time thinking and thinking about the fate of a careless employee.

It was invented by the famous American journalist Susie Welch. The rule is: before you make a difficult decision, stop and answer three questions:

what will you think about it 10 minutes later;
How will you feel about your choice in 10 months;
What will you say in 10 years?

Let's give an example. Let's take a young man who works as a manager, doesn't like his job, but puts up with it because he needs money. He dreams of quitting his job, taking out a loan and opening his own business - a small pub, but at the same time he is desperately afraid of going broke and losing everything he has. In general, a classic case when a bird in the hand is preferred to a pie in the sky.

It’s difficult for our hero to take the first step - quit his hated job. Let's say he does this. In ten minutes he is unlikely to have time to regret his decision. In 10 months, he will already have time to rent the premises, equip the pub and receive clients. And if it doesn’t work out - he’ll find a job as a manager anyway - so what’s there to regret? Well, in 10 years, this choice is unlikely to have any significance at all: either the business will continue, or our hero will work in another place - one of two things. It turns out that if you follow the 10/10/10 rule, making a decision no longer becomes such a difficult task, because a person clearly understands what awaits him in the future.

The essence of the method: when making a difficult decision, we are usually overwhelmed by emotions: fear, anxiety, or vice versa, joy and excitement. A person feels it right here and now; feelings obscure the prospects for the future. Remember, as in Yesenin: “You can’t see a face face to face, a big one is seen at a distance.” As long as the future seems cloudy and vague, the choice of solution will be postponed again and again. By making concrete plans, presenting his emotions in detail, a person rationalizes the problem and stops being afraid of the unknown - because it becomes simple and understandable.

Read also: Three real stories.

5. Solve within 15 minutes

Paradoxical as it may seem, the most important, strategic decisions should be made in 15 minutes. A familiar situation: a company has a serious problem that requires immediate action, but the point is that no one knows the right solution. For example, competitors have done something nasty, and it is not clear what to do: respond in kind or get out of the situation with dignity. Or the crisis has hit your company, and you are confused: to move to a less prestigious place or to lay off a dozen employees. How can you make the right choice, and is there even one? And you begin to procrastinate, unable to make a decision, in the hope that everything will resolve itself.

If you don’t know which solution is correct, just imagine that there is no correct answer to this life problem. Give yourself 15 minutes and make any, absolutely any, decision. Yes, at first glance this may seem crazy. What about planning, and what about testing and verifying solutions? Ok, ok, if you can quickly and with a minimum of investment check the correctness of the solution, check it. If this requires months of time and millions of rubles, it is better to abandon this idea and immediately record the time.

The essence of the method: Needless to say, if you waste time, nothing gets solved: crises don’t go away, rental prices don’t go down, and competitors become even sharper. One unmade decision leads to others, the business sags and becomes ineffective. As they say, it is better to do than to regret, than not to do and regret.

6. Don't limit yourself to narrow boundaries

The same thing we wrote about at the beginning. Execute or pardon, buy a car or not, expand or wait for better times. One of two things, hit or miss, oh, it was not! But who said that a problem has only two solutions? Get out of the narrow framework, try to look at the situation more broadly. It is not necessary to organize a large-scale expansion of production - it is enough to launch a couple of new positions. Instead of an expensive car, you can purchase a more modest option, and apply disciplinary measures to the employee who committed the crime for the first time.

The essence of the method: when there are only two solution options, there is a greater chance of choosing the right decision, and many deliberately simplify their lives by dividing the situation into yes and no, black and white. But life is much more diverse: don’t be afraid to look it in the eye and accept all possible options. The solution may be a compromise, a rejection of both extremes in favor of a third, completely unexpected solution, or a successful combination of two options. This often happens when the owner of a small business cannot decide what to do: sit on the phone, deliver orders, or engage only in management activities. Start combining - and then you will see what works best. This will be the optimal solution to the problem.

4 813 0

Hello! In this article we will tell you how to make the right decision when in doubt.

Every day we make several decisions a day, starting from choosing a menu for breakfast and ending with our social circle. Most of our decisions are harmless and cannot radically change our lives, but there are also those on which our entire future life completely depends. In difficult situations, we often begin to doubt ourselves and the correctness of our decision, rush between several options and waste a lot of time and energy instead of taking action.

How to make the right decision in life

Decision making is a real science. However, there is nothing supernatural in it; every person can quickly and correctly learn to make decisions. It is enough to have courage, take responsibility for your life into your own hands and adhere to several rules and methods.

There are several ways to make decisions:

heuristic(based on feelings and intuition)
algorithm(based on informed decisions, study of information and analysis).

Ideally, there should be harmony between rational thinking and intuition.

In addition, the manner in which you solve problems largely depends on your personality type and temperament. Thus, extroverts prefer not to think for a long time, but to immediately begin to act, while introverts analyze a lot and can “freeze” for a long time before making a decision. Both of these strategies can fail: the extrovert will end up messing things up, and the introvert will remain stuck in the problem and wait for it to resolve itself.

Basic rules for decision making

There are some rules that you should follow if you are in doubt while making a decision.

Remember your life priorities and stick to them strictly. Think about what is really important to you and why you work, study, etc. Often values and priorities are artificially replaced by society.
For example, The principle of “money for money’s sake” is becoming fashionable. When applying for a job, think about what you really value and why are you doing it? If you value your family and communication with your children very much, a highly paid job with constant overtime may simply not be suitable for you. By keeping your attention on the main thing, making decisions becomes much easier.
Try it if possible. You can think endlessly about what would happen if you went and did something, or you can just try and then make a decision.
Eg If you dream of becoming a famous graphic designer, apply for an internship at an advertising agency. By looking at your dream job from the inside, it will be much easier to make a decision.
Limit your options. You should have a choice, but remember that the abundance of options does not help, but, on the contrary, makes it difficult to make a decision.
Come up with an algorithm of actions if a certain situation occurs.
Eg, if you started your own business, but after a year it has not started generating income, you stop investing in an unprofitable enterprise. Such “backup” algorithms allow you to calculate risks and insure yourself in case of an unfavorable course of the situation.
Seek advice from loved ones and more experienced people. It is important to be able to process these tips. Of course, outside opinions and information received are very important. However, do not forget that sometimes people give advice by projecting their own fears and failures onto your life. Be careful and don't be influenced by other people's opinions.
State the problem several times. Seeking advice is useful not so much to hear advice as to talk through the situation. When we repeat our question several times, already at the moment of speaking, new unexpected thoughts and ideas come to us.
Stop thinking and analyzing and just act. Sometimes we have nothing to lose in a given situation, so why waste your time and energy thinking about it? Wherever there are no losses, act immediately and decisively.
Postpone your decision until tomorrow. Sometimes weighing and making a decision is much easier with a fresh mind. In addition, sometimes it is useful to rely on your subconscious and ask yourself an exciting question at night. Perhaps the first thought that comes to mind immediately after waking up will turn out to be the right option.
Limit the time for making a decision. The law of forced efficiency comes into force.
Rely not only on your experience, but also on current changes in the situation.
If you have made decisions, act immediately!

What should you not do?

Don't turn off your intuition. It’s still worth listening to your body and “signs from above.”
Do not delay in making a decision and implementing it. Otherwise, you will remain stuck with the problem.
Never regret the decisions you make. Remember that there is no ideal course of action. Everything that happens to us happens for a reason and is already the most correct decision. Maybe if we had made a different decision, there would have been a lot more problems?
Do not abuse advice and do not ask everyone.
Don't shift responsibility for your life to someone else.
Don't be led by your emotions.

Eliminating emotions

Before making a decision, it is very important to get rid of interfering emotions: fear, nervousness, excitement, etc. Such emotions prevent you from concentrating on the main thing, constantly draw attention to minor details and do not allow you to adequately look at the situation.

Fear

In order to get rid of fear, you need to very vividly imagine the worst case scenario. Of course, it will be greatly exaggerated, but replaying a frightening moment in your imagination will allow you to touch your own fear and prepare for possible problems on the way to your goal.

Breath

No matter how trivial it may be, deep and slow abdominal breathing will help get rid of interfering arousal. You need to breathe deeply with your stomach, while your chest practically does not move. Take 10 slow breaths in and out, holding your breath slightly for 5-7 slow counts.

Wait

Just wait. Momentary impulses and desires are not always worthy of immediate implementation. Sometimes they pass as quickly as they appear in our heads. It’s better to wait until the wave of excitement and emotions subsides than to do something stupid.

Stay focused

Try to be here and now as much as possible at the moment of making a decision. Stop being distracted by external factors and various little things. If necessary, retreat and be alone. Plunge into the problem headlong and concentrate on it.

Rule 10/10/10

To cool down your ardor, sometimes it’s enough to ask yourself three questions:

How will I feel about my decision in 10 minutes?
In 10 months?
After 10 years?

While doing this practice, try to remain as honest with yourself as possible.

Remember this state when a friend turns to us for advice. We clearly see the situation and do not pay attention to various little things. Try to look at your problem from the outside and give yourself adequate advice.

Ideal "I"

Choose the ideal one from the proposed options. Try not to think about what you want. Our desires do not always benefit us.

Decision making methods

Throughout its existence, humanity has come up with many ways to make the right decision. But before you begin to get acquainted with these methods, you need to understand what the correct solution consists of:

Information. These are dry facts without emotional coloring and information distortions.
Selectivity in information. Not all facts should be taken on faith or projected onto your life.
Concentration on the problem and its solution.
Experience. Mostly your own, but the experience of loved ones is also very valuable.
Flexibility and ability to adapt to changing situations.
An adequate assessment of what is happening.
Consistency in decision making and subsequent actions.

Avoid restrictions and boundaries

People tend to choose between two extremes: "Yes" or "No". Should I buy a car on credit or not? Divorce or not? To quit or not? We drive ourselves into the framework of a difficult choice, while the true answer to the question may be hidden in the middle or lie on a different plane altogether.

For example, someone wants to buy a car on credit, but is hesitant because he does not want to go into debt. Perhaps the question should simply be put differently and buy a cheaper car, rent an apartment closer to work, or even find a job near your current place of residence.

Try to think more broadly and avoid yes/no boxes.

Dream Diary

Imagine the goal in all its colors and your future life when you achieve it. Answer the following questions:

How will I feel?
Why do I need this?
Will I become more confident in myself?
What opportunities will open up for me?

Describe your fantasies in detail in a diary, answer questions and re-read the entries every day. At first you won't believe what you read, but over time your subconscious mind will accept the new picture.

In addition, a clear vision of your own dreams and goals helps you make decisions. The main thing is to always remember why you wake up in the morning.

Expand your choice

Don't get attached to the first option you come across. Check out other alternative solutions. What if it turns out that there are much better and more profitable options? However, you should not expand the choice to an unlimited number of options. Remember that this will only make it more difficult to solve the problem.

Disappearance

Imagine that the option you chose suddenly disappeared. What will you do in this case?

This method allows you to get rid of attachment to one specific decision and get out of the dead end of thinking.

Search for information

Study thoroughly everything related to the problem and ways to solve it. Reading reviews on the Internet has become a common ritual before purchasing a product or service. But for some reason, not everyone does the same when choosing a university or a new place of work.

Research the issue on the Internet and, if possible, communicate with those who worked or studied at this institution. This will already half protect you from making the wrong choice.

In addition, you can ask questions directly during the interview. Do not specify what bonuses the company can offer and whether there are additional “goodies” for employees. It’s better to ask who was in this position before, how many people left this vacancy and why, where they are now and how you can contact them. The answers to these questions will already be enough to make an informed decision.

If it is difficult to make a decision, you can use the Descartes square method. To do this, draw a square on a piece of paper and divide it into four more squares with two lines. In the upper left square, write everything that you will get by making this decision, and in the right - everything that you will get by not making it. In the lower squares, respectively, are everything that you will not get if you make this decision, and everything that you will not get if you do not make it.

After you finish writing all the pros and cons of this solution, all that remains is to calculate their ratio and quantity:

Subtract the number of minuses from the number of pluses in the upper right square.
Carry out the same operation with the left column of the square.
Make a decision.

Three Question Method

There is a theory that before making a decision you need to ask yourself three times. The first time the answer will come based on emotions, the second time - on the basis of logic, and the third answer will be the closest to the truth.

Try on different hats

You can also make a decision in a playful way. To do this, imagine that you have seven hats of different colors and each of them can radically change the way you think:

Red- makes you excitable and emotional;
Lilac- allows you to always remain rational;
Blue- includes intuition;
Black- makes you see only the negative and pass everything through the prism of a defeatist attitude;
Pink- makes you overly self-confident and incapable of self-criticism;
Orange— generates impossible projects and makes fantastic plans;
White - gives wisdom.

Try on all the hats and try to derive the average from the entire flow of thoughts and feelings.

Eliminating uninteresting options

You can make a choice from several alternatives using the elimination method. Remove the most unattractive option out there. Then remove another one and another one. Continue eliminating undesirable options until one option remains.

Lesser of evils

Our choices are not always associated with pleasant things. Sometimes, no matter what we choose, the consequences will not be very pleasant. What to do in this case? Accept the situation as it is and try to choose what will be least unpleasant for you.

PMI method

The abbreviation PMI can be deciphered as Plus, Minus, Interesting . Make a table with three columns. In the first, write down all the possible advantages of the decision made, in the second - the disadvantages, and in the third - just all the interesting remarks, nuances and comments that are neither pros nor cons.

This plate will help you visualize all the advantages and disadvantages of the decision made and once again weigh the pros and cons.

Practice five guiding questions

Let's assume you have already chosen a solution for your problem. How to check whether you are moving in the right direction and whether it is worth changing it? The five question method will help you with this:

Do I want this (to become someone/do something/have something)? If the answer is yes, we continue asking questions.
If I do this (become someone/do something/acquire something), will I remain in harmony with myself, the world, the Universe and God (for believers)? If yes, then we continue.
If I do this, will it bring me closer to my dream? Yes? Let's continue.
If I do this, will it violate anyone's rights? If not, then you can ask yourself one last question.
If I do this, will it make me or anyone else better?

If you have reached the last question and the answer is yes, you can safely assume that you are on the right track.

Algorithm for independent decision making

To learn how to make decisions on your own, take a piece of paper and a pen.

Write on a piece of paper exactly what your problem is.
List the reasons why it needs to be addressed.
Describe in detail the desired outcome of events.
Write down all possible solutions to the issue and actions that need to be taken.
Analyze your answers, relate them to current opportunities and start taking action.

How to decide on a job?

As you prepare to leave your job or have multiple jobs to choose from, think about your life priorities and values. If your family is at the forefront of everything, it is wrong to choose a job with long working hours and constant delays at work, even if you get good pay for it.

In this case, it would be a good idea to ask a friend for help. After all, real risks and imaginary fears are always better visible from the outside. If you don't have anyone to ask, try giving yourself advice yourself. Try to turn off your emotions, because changing jobs can change your life for both the worse and the better.

How to decide on divorce?

If family life has cracked and everything is bad, sometimes thoughts of divorce may flash through. Don't rush to cut from the shoulder. Wait until your emotions calm down and your head becomes clear. It may be a good idea to live apart from your spouse for a little while.

Do not rush to turn to loved ones for advice. If you later change your mind and make peace with your husband or wife, your loved ones will condemn him/her, consider him/her an enemy and put a spoke in your wheels. In addition, personal life is one of those areas of life where decisions should remain exclusively yours, so that later you do not bitterly regret that you blindly listened to someone’s advice.

Remember to avoid narrow boundaries and radical solutions. Perhaps the question “To divorce or not?” put incorrectly and there are other solutions, for example: sort out the relationship, work through grievances, have a heart-to-heart talk, improve relationships or contact a family psychologist.

If you understand that you are much better off separately than in an alliance with your partner, and the relationship cannot be restored, perhaps it is worth getting a divorce rather than fighting for a destructive relationship that no one needs.

How can I help you make a decision?

Every person is the master of his own life. Therefore, give others the opportunity to build their own lives, win and make mistakes. If you see that your loved one doubts himself, give him the opportunity to make his own decision and do not interfere with unsolicited advice. Of course, if you are asked for advice, you can express your opinion and say what you would do, but no more. You have no right to make decisions for another person or take responsibility for their life.

What prevents us from making adequate decisions? (Dan Gilbert)