I couldn’t decide what I wanted this week’s blog to be. Making decisions can be hard. Maybe I’ve been watching too much of ‘The Good Place’ and Chidi is rubbing off on me.
So lets get some awareness on decision-making. We are going to intentionally over-analyze and over-think what goes into the decision making process. Maybe this is more of an exercise than a blog… A blogercise…
Having too many choices can be overwhelming. The menu at The Cheesecake Factory is a perfect example- it’s basically a novel. On the flip side, having too few choices can be too limiting, and make the choices seem undesirable. Like when you don’t have much food in the house because you need to go grocery shopping, but still have to make dinner. Maybe I’m hungry with all these food examples. Much like Goldilocks, the conditions on making a decision may have to be juuuuusssst right.
On to the potential bombardment of questions that can help develop awareness into what makes choices hard.
What are some other factors that make a choice hard to make?
Are the stakes too high, causing anxiety?
Are the stakes too low, making it not urgent and you’ll think about it “later”?
Do you actually like any of your choices?
Do you want to be in the position to have to make this choice?
Is it inconsequential what you choose?
Does it matter?
Will the decision impact too many people negatively?
Is the concept of ‘perfection’ getting in the way?
We all make choices every day. Big and small, whether we realize it or not. What choices are easy for you? What’s a hard one?
What’s the difference between an easy decision and a hard one?
What do the easy choices feel like? What do the hard choices feel like?
How do you know when a decision is hard or easy?
Sometimes the options are equally desirable. How could you divvy up your time to have both? What would happen if you have to give one of them up? How do you prioritize these options? What’s important?
Other times neither option is desirable. How do you pick between the lesser of two necessary “evils”? What makes something more, or less, appealing?
If a decision seems impossible, what would happen if you didn’t make the decision? What problems would arise/go away?
Sometimes no decision is still a decision. Actions, and lack of actions, all have consequences. Perhaps that’s too negative. Actions, or lack of actions, all have results: sometimes consequences, sometimes rewards.
What’s a different perspective you could have on having to make a decision?
What has having to make the decision made you realize?
What’s the worst outcome the decision could have? What’s the best? Are these hypothetical outcomes based on fact, or are they stories we are telling ourselves?
Is it helpful to think of the possible negative outcomes?
What is helpful when it comes to making a decision?
Some people like talking out decisions with others, some don’t. Sometimes unsolicited advice is more annoying than helpful. Sometimes it actually is helpful. How do you know what you need? How do you communicate those needs?
When you make a difficult decision, do you reward or celebrate the accomplishment? Would that be helpful? If so, how would you celebrate? Does it seem silly to reward yourself for just making a decision? If so, what about it is silly?
Just noticing what makes a decision hard could provide some insight into why it’s hard, and help lead you to the “right” choice.
