Analysis Paralysis – When do I decide?
Life is full of decisions. I am not the best at making decisions, especially big ones. I am learning that part of maturity is finding out how to make decisions on my own and accepting the consequences. Whether good or bad, the outcome will serve as a great learning experience for future decisions. Here are a few things I do to make decision making less stressful.
Listen to your inner self
One of the greatest lessons I have learned is to listen to my inner peace. Which direction feels least stressful? What is my gut telling me to do? Before you talk to anyone, listen to yourself. Pray. Meditate. Take a walk. Make sure you have listened to your inner self before you talk to anyone else.
Ask for advice
It is always a good idea to run decisions by someone who you trust. This could be a parent, friend or mentor. Two evaluative minds are better than one. However, remember that involving too many advisors into your decision making process may slow you down and sink you into the analysis paralysis trap. At the end of the day, the only person who can make the decision is you. If you receive advice that you think won't be beneficial, don't take it.
Sleep on it
Don’t get in the habit of making rushed decisions. Rushed decisions usually become regretted decisions, and one more day of contemplation rarely hurts your situation (unless there’s a definitive deadline). Give yourself time to process what is at stake. Time can reveal a lot of details that you may not have considered in the beginning, and you may prevent yourself from a mistake you might regret.
Weigh pros vs. cons
Be realistic with yourself about the different elements of the decision. Oftentimes writing things down helps you visualize the decision more clearly, and sometimes items can come out on paper that you weren't considering before.
Don’t fear being wrong
This is my biggest weakness. My thought process 90% of the time is: “I’m a responsible adult…I can’t make a wrong decision!” Truth is - everyone makes wrong decisions at some point. The key is to do everything in your power to make the most well informed decision you can (and try not to screw up the big decisions). If you still make the wrong one, at least you tried your best.