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Exhausted by Options - Nat Eliason
Systems for decision making
You can create systems to offload decision making. The simplest type of system is a bunch of rules strung together into a chain of good decisions, where each on mandates the next.
For example: Put your workout clothes out at night so that when you wake up you immediately put them on and go running.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Key Ideas
"Good" Decisions
- Logical decisions tend to trump emotional ones, since emotions can sometimes make us biased or see things in an inaccurate light.
- Thought-out decisions tend to trump ...
Step away from the problem
Distancing yourself from a problem can help you face it in a more objective way.
Instead of remaining in your own frame of mind, consider yourself as an outside observer, such as a friend giving advice or a fly on the wall. Removing yourself in this way helps you filter out some of your cognitive biases and lean you toward a more rational decision.
Give yourself some time
Accuracy and reliability in decision making tends to increase if you first give yourself some time to decompress and collect yourself.
This may also help you remove yourself from the problem, knocking out two of these strategies at a time.
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Make all important & difficult decisions on paper
It relieves pressure from the situation and allows your mind to focus on the task at hand, rather than spiraling into self-doubt and second-guessing.
When making decisions, get clear about your reasons
You’ve got to get absolutely crystal clear about your outcome and your purpose. If you forget the reasons behind your decision, you won’t follow through.
Don't let fear motivate your decision making
And don’t wait for absolute certainty because you’ll almost never get it. One of the ways to overcome this is to have a consistent process for making decisions.
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Key Ideas
Pretend You're Advising a Friend
Think outside yourself a little and pretend like you're offering advice.
The reasoning here is really simple: your short-term emotions get in the way of decisions, and that clouds yo...
Limit The Information You Take In
We usually believe that the more information you have, the better decisions we can make. However, at some point, we cross a threshold where we have too much information. That's when we start to fill in gaps and add weight to information that doesn't matter.
This makes decision making way more difficult.
Reverse Your Assumptions
You're so prone to continue making the same kind of choices throughout your life that challenging yourself and doing the exact opposite is often the best way to get around this problem.
The idea here is to confront your default behavior, step outside your comfort zone, and use your imagination to test some completely new ideas.