7 Strategies for Making Objective Decisions

Take each option in your decision and make two lists for each; on one side, you'll have all the benefits of an option and on the other, you'll have all the downsides. 

Try to give your list a sense of scale. This can help you think through all the positives and negatives of all your options, and help you visualize the generally best candidate.

To help you visualize the generally best candidate, take each option in your decision and make two lists for each; on one side, you'll have all the benefits of an option and on the other, you'll have all the downsides. 

Imagine your friend telling you the problem using only the most important information, and think about what you might say in return.

Imaging your own advice if you were counseling a friend on making the decision can help you understand what an outsider's perspective might be. 

Imagining your own advice if you were counseling a friend on making the decision can help you understand what an outsider's perspective might be. 

Because you're in the middle of a situation, your views are distorted, but on the outside, you might see things differently.

Try to limit what you have to interpret. Eliminate any factor that isn't one of your primary considerations, and look at what remains.

For example, if you're deciding between two new jobs, you could pare the decision down to salary, work culture, and potential for growth. 

Instead of trying to think of everything that could possibly be accounted for when making the decision, strip down the deciding factors to a minimal number.

For example, if you're deciding between two new jobs, you could pare the decision down to salary, work culture, and potential for growth. Eliminate any factor that isn't one of your primary considerations, and look at what remains.

During the decision-making process, you're going to make assumptions. Tinker with those assumptions in order to get a fuller, more objective view of the situation. 

For example, you might assume that your company is going to continue growing in revenue, but what if your sales decrease over the next two years? How would your decision play out?

Assign positive or negative points to each quality associated with each of your decisions, and keep a total score running for each one. 

Once you've taken everything into consideration, one decision will be objectively worth more than the other. You'll still be affected by your subjective opinions, but they will have a smaller impact.

Assign positive or negative points to each quality associated with each of your decisions, and keep a total score running for each one. 

Once you've taken everything into consideration, one decision will be objectively worth more than the other.