Deciding to live differently

As reaction to panic or stress the body pumps adrenaline, making you breath faster and certain parts of the body feel tight, that makes us prone to often incorrect snap judgments. When having that kind of response, close your eyes, take a few breaths, and take some time to consider your next action.

That buys you time to physically calm down enough to make a more considered choice. 

1. Be skeptic, meditate, learn from previous mistakes, know what the data and it’s context means, and trust your informed judgment.
2. Focus on the quality of information you’re getting, not the quantity.
3. Set a time limit for yourself, and ensure you’re not using your decision-making angst as a procrastination device.
4. If you see that you prefer familiar and easier choices, ensure they aren’t being reframed to support something you wish was true.
5. Crisp, clear decisions may seem like the best kind of decisions, but they may cost you time and extra effort when often the details may not even matter.
6. Forcing yourself to choose may lead to you making high-risk decisions and ignoring alternatives.
7. Imagine the effort you’re considering was a fantastic success, and then that it was an unequivocal disaster. Then, analyze the reasons for both to find blind spots, dampen excessive optimism, and bridge the gap between short-term and long-term thinking.

Chances are you won't just wake up one day and suddenly change your life. To go where you want to go, you have to chart out a plan.

For example: If you feel the cue of smoking, replace the smoking with some other activity like having a cup of coffee.

Start the day with your #1 priority.

Getting up early isn’t enough. You need to put first things first. When you put your top priorities first, then you ensure they make it into the bucket of your day. After your main priorities have been completed, the rest will fill the gaps.