Whether you are thinking of changing jobs or changing careers or wondering whether to recruit within your company, decision making can be hard. And making a decision can be the one thing that often holds us back from actually doing anything. Read these 5 top tips for decision making:
- Focus on your values, rather than what you “want.”
“Want” is a moving target, whereas our values are an intrinsic part of us. Focus on what you value deeply about that situation and then make your decision based on those values. The quickest way to do this is using a “values wheel” exercise: draw a wheel, divide it into eight pieces and label each piece with what you value in that area of your life that’s under consideration—if you’re facing a career question, your wheel would include what you value in a job. Look at the wheel and ask yourself “how are these values present in the situation that I’m considering?” - Your feelings are your guidance system.
Listen to your gut. Trust your instinct. Engage your feelings and it will lead to better decisions. The old adage of “sleeping on it” is also a good one, don’t make a decision if you’re feeling extremely worried or unsure, wait until the morning and focus again! - Make a “good enough” decision.
Being a perfectionist overwhelms your brain, makes you feel out of control and can result in enormous physical and mental stress.
Don’t put pressure on yourself to make the absolute 100% best decision. In fact any choice that you do make will never seem like the best one if you’re always thinking about what could’ve been. You can get caught up about making the right decision and feeling like it’s irreversible, but nothing is set in stone – you have the power to choose differently at any point. - You don’t need more information.
You need the right information. Clarify what it is that you want to get out of the decision and then get the relevant data for that. Don’t overload yourself with excess data and spend unnecessary time reviewing areas and options that are superfluous. Instead spend more time defining and redefining what it is that you really want to achieve from this decision. - Ask yourself, “What advice would I give to someone else in this situation?”
What would you do if you made the recommendation for another person? This question can help because often when we’re recommending things to other people, we take a step back and have a little more detachment on the subject. This distance can result in a decision that comes from a more solid and knowing place within us.
About Mikki:
Mikki Gaskell is a life coach, who helps her clients to move forward in their lives, be more confident and create a life that they love.
Find out more – www.mikkigaskell.co.uk
