Steps to make good decisions at every point

Decision-making is a full-time job. It is a task we are daily assigned. While it seems like some friends easily make smart decisions, it is a difficult task. As adults, the feeling of being torn in between making smart decisions and poor ones crushes us into smatterings.

Confusion sets in and cripples us. As a result, we chicken out of making any decision at all.

One of the myriads of reasons we chicken out of making decisions is the fear of making a wrong decision. This fear is because we can’t see or know what’s at the end of the tunnel of the decisions we make.

Hence, we just dive right into what seems right and deal with the consequences when it comes – whether it’s good or bad. While some of us humans would like to think of ourselves as rational, researchers think differently.

According to them, human beings are mostly irrational. This irrationality gives rise to common errors in our thinking patterns, leading us down the path of making poor or bad decisions.

Nevertheless, if you are a sucker for making bad decisions, researchers have proposed a workable solution to bail you out of this pit. Here are a few expert-approved tips to help you make smart decisions.

1. Clearly define your goals: Generally, nobody wakes up, dresses, and leaves the house without a defined destination in mind. There is always an appointment we have to keep either with a friend or boss. Hence, the need to leave the house and travel down to a defined location, etc. The same goes for our life. We can only make a smart decision based on our life goals. First, we have to define what we want out of life and decide how we are going to get it. For example, if you want to get married or get a high paying job, you have to improve your relationship skills to be able to get married and go to college, learn the necessary skills for your desired career path to be able to get that high paying job. To make smart decisions, start by identifying and clearly defining your goals. Then, draft a plan to accomplish these goals and devote a laser-like focus on them to accomplish them.
2. Review your actions daily: Now that you have drafted a plan to accomplish your goals, you should become your first critic. Be very proactive and conscious of how you spend your day. Analyse your actions daily to know if they are enough, too much or not enough to fulfil your goals, and daily make an effort to be better. However, while you evaluate your actions, ensure that you maintain a life-work balance
3. Learn from your mistakes: A common human feature is our ability to be prone to making mistakes. However, to make smarter decisions, we have to evaluate/ review our mistakes. Our mistakes reveal what we did wrong, what went wrong, what we could have done better, etc. As a result, our mistakes can lift us up and not tear us down.
4. Learn from other’s mistakes: No one is perfect. Most successful people have a failure at a point in their lives. Learn from the mistakes of successful people or those older than you. You can talk to a mentor or somebody that is ahead of you in the game. Read stories of successful people to gain wisdom from their mistakes and learn from their decision-making skills.
5. The power of intuition: Your intuition is never wrong sometimes. So, it would be good to follow it. If you feel you are doing something wrong, maybe you should take a pause and think it through. Put in the extra work when you need to, and don’t wait on people to push you to do the right thing before you do it.

Making a smart decision is an action word. In other words, it is not enough to anticipate what’s right. You also have to do what is right.