6 Reasons We Make Bad Decisions, and What to Do About Them

Our brains process five times as much information today as in 1986. Thus, many of us live in a continuous state of distraction and struggle to focus. 

To counter this, find time each day to unplug and step back from email, social media and news.

Introverts are usually reluctant to speak up in a meeting until they know precisely what they want to say. But they may have some of the best ideas to contribute.

So when scheduling a meeting, send out a meeting agenda 24 hours in advance to give everyone time to think about their contributions.

Performance, including decision-making effectiveness, suffers by up to 40% when we focus on two cognitive tasks at the same time. 

When you need to make important decisions, commit to several blocks of time during the day to focus deeply on the task at hand.

Our emotions, especially during moments of peak anger and happiness, can hinder our ability to make good decisions.

Pay attention to your emotional state and focus on the character strength of self-control. Resist the temptation to respond to people or make decisions while you’re emotionally keyed up.

The more information we have to consider, the longer we typically take to make a decision. 

While the decision-making process should be thorough, the best way to make good decisions is usually not to take more time or to look at more information. Instead, review the pertinent information you need, set a deadline to make a decision, and then stick to it.