Decision Making
Everybody have to make them, we make them all the time, some turn out to be the right ones and other do not. Decisions are there to make them.
Decisions! Can't make them. Can't not make them. Can't not not make them.
— Eric Wahlforss (@ericw) November 7, 2011
Different types of decisions
There are different types of decisions to be made in your life. Those that don´t matter, those that really matter. Those that take time and those that don't take any time at all to make.
Wether deciding your meal at the restaurant or choosing city to live in the next couple of years, they have one thing in common. You do have to make them. So lets make them fast, trust our instincts and learn from the wrong decisions you will make.
Most of my friends tends to spend more time comparing different meals on a restaurant than buying that expensive pair of jeans, which is kind of strange when looking at what resources (money) that you spend in either case.
How to make decisions
The people I know that have been successful in one way or another, tend to make fast decisions. They decide based on current situation and context and then simply move on. If it turns out to be the wrong decision, they choose a different path. The important thing is to make them and move on.
Thinking about it made me realize that
- Most decisions do not turn out to be right or wrong until after you made them.
- Humans think all decisions matter equaly. That's not true. Think of this the next time ordering food or choosing walking path in the woods.
- In most cases you are able to change your decision after some time.
- Think of it as A/B testing. Try one path and change if it you have to later on.
- Do, Fail, Iterate. The worst thing that will happen is that you learn from it and gain experience.