5 Simple Ways to Make Better Decisions
These strategies will help you save time, energy, and money.
As a teenager, I’ve been one of the most indecisive people I knew.
Even the most straightforward decisions took me an incredible amount of time and energy.
No matter how simple or redundant the decision itself was, I was great at overcomplicating and wasting my time.
Back then, I wasn’t aware of the importance of time and energy, so I didn’t do anything to become a better, more efficient decision-maker.
Instead, I thought that I’m a rational person as I didn’t make inconsiderate decisions.
While my version of overthinking was an extreme one, I’m not the only person who struggled with poor decision making.
Most people are bad decision-makers and waste an inconsiderable amount of time on insignificant or even redundant decisions.
And the main reason why decision making is so important is that we make thousands of micro-decisions every single day:
- what to wear
- what to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- how to start our days
- which to-do to tackle first
- what to shop
- and so much more.
And while many of these decisions are automated, we still have hundreds of unique, new choices to make every day.
Here are five strategies that will help you to make better, faster decisions:
Fewer options = better decisions.
The more choices you have, the worse the result of your decision will be.
When we can’t decide, we usually try to come up with even more choices.
We think that we might be missing out on an even better option and look for more alternatives.
That’s also called FOBO, fear of better options.
We try to maximize our options thinking that this would lead to the best possible outcome.
The reality, however, is a different one: Too many choices often lead to indecision or even frustration.
The scientifically proven truth is that more choices lead to worse decisions.
Sheena Iyengar, a professor at Columbia Business School, conducted an experiment in a supermarket: She set up a jam booth and displayed either six or 24 different types of jam.
While more people stopped by at the booth with 24 options, six times more people bought jam when they only had six options.
Limiting options can not only lead to an increase in revenue, but it will also help you save time, energy, and probably even money.
And above all, it will help you to make quicker, better decisions.
The fewer options you have, the better the outcome.
How to use it:
Whenever you need to make a decision, limit your options.
You don’t need to choose from ten pairs of jeans to find the perfect match; just try three options.
You don’t need to choose from hundreds of books to decide on your next read. Create a list of three books and choose efficiently.
Next time you need to make a decision, no matter how small or big, start by defining your options and make sure to keep it to as little alternatives as possibles.
Decision making can be so much easier if you have fewer options.
Earlier is better.
At the end of a day, your willpower is used up and you make worse decisions.
The more decisions we make throughout a day, the harder it becomes to choose.
This is also called decision fatigue and a highly relevant phenomenon in various fields.
Willpower is a battery: If it’s empty, you need to recharge it through a break, some snacks, or an energizing activity. If your blood sugar drops, you’re less likely to decide at all.
That’s why you find a restaurant in every IKEA store: If you visit a typical IKEA store, you walk past thousands of products. After a while, you face decision fatigue because you saw so many alternatives.
After a quick visit to the restaurant (which is usually located in the middle of the store), your blood sugar levels are filled up, you can keep shopping, and leaving even more money at the store.
How to use it:
Don’t try to make important decisions late at night. Instead, spend your evenings with relaxed, calming activities.
If you need to make important decisions, do it as early as possible.
Use your fresh, energized mind for important decisions and don’t waste it on mundane activities.
And if you need to decide throughout a day, at least give yourself a short break, grab a little snack and relax for a few minutes before making an important decision.
Fewer people make better decisions than big groups.
In 2014 a study by Princeton University proved that small groups make quicker and better decisions than big ones.
The reason is simple; when different people make a common decision, two types of information are considered:
Correlated information: Facts that are accepted by or known to all members.
And uncorrelated information: Facts that are only known to some group members.
Both are equally important, but the larger the group is, the more likely correlated information will outweigh uncorrelated facts.
If the decision is highly important, all stakeholders should have a saying.
But if possible, fewer voices can lead to better decisions.
How to use it:
Whenever you need to make a decision with a group of people, ask yourself whether it’s possible to abandon a few members.
Sleep on it.
When in doubt, we often recommend people to sleep on a decision, yet there’s also scientific evidence: According to Harvard Business Review, our conscious attention is limited; that’s why it makes sense to make use of our unconscious.
Even when we sleep, our unconscious mind is busy looking for solutions to our problems. And quite often, this helps to come up with new, innovative solutions to existing problems.
How to use it:
Sometimes, it can be helpful to give yourself some time to process a decision while you sleep. By doing so, you can let your unconscious mind work in your favor and come up with new solutions.
Whenever you need to make an important decision and struggle to do it, allow yourself to sleep on it at least once before making the ultimate choice.
Toss the coin.
Quite often, a simple coin toss can be the most effective way to choose from two options.
Yet, tossing a coin is not about devoting responsibility. It’s about listening to your intuition.
If the decision is important, flipping a coin will help you find out what you really want. Once you flipped, you’ll eventually find yourself hoping for heads or tails.
Listening to your intuition and finding out what you want is much easier if you can’t control the decision.
How to use it:
Keep a decision making coin in your wallet and use it when you’re indecisive.
Flip your coin, close your eyes, and listen to your inner voice.
Bottom Line
Sometimes, you can make your life easier by accepting “good enough” instead of hunting for better, bigger decisions.
Quite often, your intuition will help you make the best decisions.
Instead of overthinking your next simple decisions, apply one of the five strategies, and let the process be easy.
A good decision doesn’t need to be a complicated one. Your life can be easy and fun.
Just keep the following strategies in mind:
More alternatives mean worse decisions, limit your options.
Don’t try to make important decisions at the end of your day.
When making important decisions, limit the number of people involved.
Sleep on a decision to let your unconscious mind help you.
Toss the coin and listen to your intuition.
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