How do You Make Decisions?

[Tristan]

What process do you use when making decisions?

How do you make decisions that have dramatic consequences?

How do you make decisions that need to be made with little time to contemplate.

Please discuss your decision making processes.

[Shamou]

Unless it is an emergency that demands immediate action… I will not make a decision until I am cool, calm and collected… I never decide under the influence of strong emotions especially under the emotion of fear… my decisions must be rational and logical…

Decision making usually implies two different options… none of witch are ideal… so I will look for a third option that could unite the better parts of two worlds…

If it is important enough… I will do some research (and seek counseling) in order to get all the possible facts and information relative to the question at hand… so that I can make an informed decision…

I will weigh the consequences of the two paths open before me…

And, at the end of that process… if I’m still undecided… I’ll go with my gut feelings… which I should probably have done in the first place…

.

[Sam988]

I picture the best possible scenario, the expected scenario, and then the worst possible scenario for my decisions and ask myself if i could handle and live with it if the worst happens. If i realize the decision is worth making, that is, if the expected scenario and the best possible scenario have a lot of chances of becoming real, and the worst possible scenario has very fewer chances of becoming real than the other two scenarios, i go with the decision.

[thethinkingboy]

I have an unexplainable trust when I have a big decision with dramatic consequences. It's like "trusting your gut" only in the back of my mind, I believe there is someone or something looking out for me and if things go well, then great, and if not, then there is a lesson to be learned here, so either way it's a win-win situation for me. That usually helps take the stress out of a big business decision or something like that. Nothing I can outline on paper though.

[John Hill]

To make both small and life changing decisions I let go and trust. It is not easy at first to do this but once you actually do it on a regular basis it is absolutely liberating and the results are almost like magic.

John

Attracting People.com

[rene_stpierre]

I am an engineer and have an analytical mindset. So, I need data ... numbers, information, facts, opinions, etc.

I gather as much as I can (taking into account the time I have), analyse it (looking at different scenarios ... best, worse and "what ifs") and decide.

Despite my need for data, I am not the type of person who will sit on a problem until I have all the data I want or until the circumstances or someone else decides for me. I have found over the years, that I can take fast decisions when needed.

René

[ZHereford]

Hi Tristan,

Some decisions don't have to be made right away and others do. Either way you should have as much information available to you as possible. The more you know and are aware of, the better. Here's an article I wrote on the very subject Keys To Making A Good Decision.

If you have to make a split-second decision in an emergency your sub-conscious mind usually takes over and you operate on automatic pilot. I'm sure we've all heard of stories where people react with what seems like super-human strength or courage when called upon in a dire situation or emergency.

[JohnPlace]

Although this is not one of my more popular articles, it does answer the question. The way I make decisions depends upon the situation. See the article at the link.

4 Bulletproof Strategies for Making Better Decisions

[bradb]

I favour responding to change over following a plan, so my decision-making process is lightweight, almost instinctual. I generally make decisions that apply only to the next 30-60 days of my life, when possible, because I rarely have enough information to act beyond that. There are obvious exceptions, like buying a house, getting married, buying a car, etc., but I try to keep my decisions as small as possible.

But it really depends on the type of decision being made.

When buying clothes or other material items, for example, I'll use the Pavlina-esque "Is this me?" When ordering food from a menu I've never seen before, I literally force myself to pick something in under a minute.

With bigger decisions that have "dramatic consequences" like firing a client, ending a relationship, or moving to another city, I usually act from the heart, rather than deeply thought-out guesswork about The One True Answer. I'll often go through a prolonged period (a few weeks, a few months, sometimes longer) where I'm unhappy in the current situation and have been thinking about the alternatives, and at some point I'll just reach a breaking point and take the plunge.

But even the decision to start my current company was made in probably 30 minutes at most. I wrote no business plan. I don't plan features more than a few weeks in advance. I just jumped into taking action, realizing that I always have the power of the present moment to change course.

[bluskygirl]

For me, it depends greatly on what the decision is. I used to be a one kind of decision maker: spontaneous 100%. I'm still that way, but I had to learn some lessons about why that worked for me and I had to understand the consequences.

Spontaneous decisions for me are effective because 99% of the time they are coming from my instincts. Chances are my instincts are really listening to my heart and my heart knows long before I do what the right decisions are for my path to stay on heading. At one point in my life, certain decisions I made were not on the "acceptable" list for most of the people in my world and that led me to believe that I should contemplate and think a little more before making any life changing decision. In the end, the thinking turned out to be more about what I thought others "wanted" me to decide... looking for approval from others regarding my choices. That didn't work for me because in the end I was making other people's choices rather than my own. So, for now I follow my heart even when I can't quite explain or understand the decision. It has always steered me in the right direction and so it's all good.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by bluskygirl

Spontaneous decisions for me are effective because 99% of the time they are coming from my instincts.

Very well said bluskygirl... what you call your "instinct" some of us call the "subconscious..."

And, that subconscious has recorded each and every experience that we have had since birth... so it does know so much more then we think it does...

The little problem with spontaneous decisions is that they are sometimes clouded with emotions... and, some of those emotions might not serve our best interest...

So, I feel that, spontaneous is good... if tempered with a cool head...

.

[Ilya]

I'll side with those who go with the "gut feeling", instinct, and subconscious.
When I was younger, I was scared to death making decisions, even the trivial ones. Then I learned about some decision making techniques. Then I learned some intuitive making techniques. While my life progressed, I noticed, that even if I make a decision I regret at first, it all turns out fine in the end. I don't know how - it is a miracle. So at the moment I can' say I make any decisions at all. I just follow the flow, the next actions are pretty obvious for me.
Since I do not fear the outcomes, I do not spend much thought for alternatives.
If I start going along some path, and it leads to a dead end, I always have time and resources to alter the situation to the best.

[kai9]

if it's a business decision, then figures and data will be gathered and decision made after some research.

if it's a personal life decision, then i will gather some info about the choices. however ultimately, i rely on my gut feeling and what seems to be more in line with my heart's desires. i find that if i go around talking to dozens of people asking for their opinion, usually i end up not making the right decision because i wld be too scared to act.

what happens when there is no clear distinct path and you have to make a decision anyhow ? well, take a hint from Gandolf in the Lord of the Rings - "whenever in doubt, go where it smells right." *

i have a friend who once had a hard time making a career decision. i could see she was pretty distraught.. my advice to her was - it's not a life or death decision. even if things don't turn out as you desire, you can always adjust... as long as you don't run out of time or make a very bad decision with heavy consequences, you can always improve things along the way.

* fans of LOTR (movie) will remember one scene in the Fellowship of the Ring, where Gandolf was confronted with making a decision on which path to take through the misty mountains. his memories had failed him and he could not recall which way to take...

[Sleeping Dude]

I analyse everything, get all the information I can, then let it rest in my head for some time, and then make decision basing on my gut feelings. That is, trying to utilize my subconciousness.
I would always rely on my instincts over pure logic.

[ragtag]

I use The Pillow Method. It's a wonder I'm still here.