How To Become Faster At Decision Making

Do you know what you are going to eat for supper tonight? What will you wear tomorrow? Should you take that new promotion or focus on your own business? We have to make decisions daily. Some will not have much consequence for our future. Others will. Making fast decisions is an asset to your personal and professional growth. Use these tips to become faster at decision-making. 

Practice When You Are Not Under Pressure

How do professional athletes become excellent in their skills? They practice when the game is not on the line. Pressure makes us hesitate to make decisions, so why not emulate athletes and practice fast decision-making when you are not under pressure?

Make Simple Decisions Faster

If you struggle to make a simple decision, you will struggle to make the bigger ones. For example, if you can’t decide between a mocha and a latte, you probably change your mind on more important decisions. Give yourself 30 seconds to make small decisions, and then follow through. You will train your brain to think through options faster.

Give Yourself Some Encouragement

You may be tempted to berate yourself for bad results. Please be kind to yourself, and look at the brighter side. Commend yourself for trying something new instead of berating yourself for messing up.

Practice Giving Yourself Feedback

Excellent companies continue to grow because they take customer feedback and apply it. After making a poor decision, look at what happened and how you can change your decision-making process. The goal is to learn to make better decisions later.

Take Emotions Out of the Process

Many decisions are made based on your emotions. Emotions can be tricky and encourage poor decisions. Look at what you already have and what you need, weigh the consequences, and don't let your heart talk you out of a decision.

Limit Your Options

Too many options will affect your ability to make a fast decision. Look at your options in a black and white format. If necessary, take a piece of paper, make two columns, and mark each choice as 'good' or 'bad.' Try to do this quickly. Use this approach if you are an over-analyzer.

Give Yourself a Deadline

Not all decisions can be made in a split second. If the 30-second rule seems too fast, give yourself two minutes. For those that need to be processed longer, give yourself a deadline. It can be 24 hours or two weeks, but you need a deadline.

Commit to the Choice

Once you make a decision, keep it. Teach yourself to follow through on your choice, even if you fear the outcome. Most of the time, a ‘bad’ outcome is still better than doing nothing at all.

Flip a Coin

For those choices that don’t have consequences, flip a coin. Where you have dinner tonight is a minor decision that lacks major consequences. There is no ‘wrong’ answer, so take off the pressure, flip a coin, roll a dice, or draw straws and go with the results.