Life is an endless stream of decisions: what to wear, what to eat, who to marry, where to live. We are always making a decision whether we realize it or not, and the decision-making process could be quite stressful.
Have you noticed that Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg wears the same shirt almost everyday? This is the reason he gave for wearing the same grey shirt “I really want to clear my life to make it so that I have to make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community.” The Tech CEO is of the opinion that even the little decisions such as choosing what to wear or eat could be time and energy consuming.
It is also interesting to note that other influential people like Apple founder, Steve Jobs and Former US President, Barack Obama share the same theory on choosing outfits.
Now, I am not saying wearing multiple clothes is bad. If anything, I believe that variety makes life fun and interesting. But sometimes making tough decisions that influence and affect other people can be so burdensome. Thankfully, there are a few tips that can make this process easier.
1. Identify your Goals and Motives: Decisions are usually influenced by how we feel, and feelings could becloud our judgment. Remove yourself from the situation and take an outsider’s point of view. You could pretend you were talking to a friend or an imaginary person. Ask yourself the real intentions behind the decision you want to make; do you want to get a new job because the pay is better or because it would give you room to grow?
2. Get enough information about the situation: Before making any decision, make sure you are well informed on all the possible outcomes of that situation. Never be in a hurry to make a decision, gathering information helps you buy time and explore all your options so as to make the best possible decision.
3. Come up with a list of alternatives: As you dig deeper into the problem, generate a number of alternatives that you can choose from. this may seem complex at first, but it helps you analyse the situation from different angles and help you come up with very innovative solutions.
4. Select the Best Option and do a Post-decision Analysis: After weighing all your options, it is now time to select that which you feel is the best option. I would like to suggest here that you should not underestimate the place of the supernatural. Prayerfully consider all your options, and then take a post-decision analysis. Ask yourself how you felt after making the decision. Did you feel peace about it after considering all your alternatives? What have you learnt from this decision that you can apply in the future?
I believe that deep down, everyone has a moral compass that guides them. Most times we know deep down in our hearts whenever we are making a wrong or right decision. We just have to clear the clutter and make sure that we are not being beclouded by our feelings or short-term emotions.
SL Fabz, I hope you found this helpful. Feel free to share tips that have also helped you in making decisions. I would love to hear from you.
