How to Make a Quick Decision
Identify the scale of the decision you need to make., Get rid of the bad options., Place a dollar value on your decision-making time., Find a strategic objective., Aim for an adequate choice., Don't wait for the perfect choice.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Identify the scale of the decision you need to make.
You should put your decision into either a small, mid-term or big decision category.
Differentiating the relative importance of the decision in your life or business will allow you to put an appropriate amount of time and effort into it.
If you are trying to determine which vacuum cleaner to purchase, for instance, you should put less time and energy into the decision than if you were deciding whether to marry someone.
A small decision would be deciding what to eat for dinner or which shampoo to purchase.
A mid-term decision would be figuring out whether to work with someone on a new project.
A big decision would be deciding whether to pursue a new career. -
Step 2: Get rid of the bad options.
When you look at your decision, you may notice a number of options that your gut tells you will be bad for your life or business.Cross off these options right away.
Now that you have them off your list, you can focus on choosing from amongst the better options., Break each hour into ten slots of six minutes.
Based on how much you make per hour, determine the dollar value of six minutes of your time.
Don’t spend more time and money on decisions that will not have a big impact on your work or finances.To determine how much time and money to spend on a decision, you may also find it helpful to consider the following:
The impact of the decision on other people.
The impact of the decision on your place of work.
The financial impacts of the decision.
Your level of responsibility for the decision.
The outcomes of a poor decision. , You may find it helpful to reduce the number of criteria that bear on your decision.
Although you may have multiple criteria to fulfill with the decision, you should try to distill the key criteria into a strategic objective.
Your strategic objective should fulfill one or two of the most important criteria. , Although it would be fantastic if there were a choice that fulfilled everything we were looking for, life rarely presents us with this situation.
So, you may as well figure out what you need in order to make an adequate choice.
An adequate decision will be one that meets the minimum criteria that you set for yourself, as opposed to the ideal conditions.
Once you have found a choice that meets your minimum criteria, make the decision and move on with life.If you are looking for a new car, figure out the most important criteria that you need to meet in order to find a car that will work for your life.
Once you have found a car that meets these criteria (price, color, model, year), make your choice and move on with life. , If you find yourself waiting around for a choice that meets your ideal set of conditions, you could end up doing research or contemplating the decision for a very long time.
Instead of waiting for an ideal choice, figure out which criteria are the most important for making an adequate decision. -
Step 3: Place a dollar value on your decision-making time.
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Step 4: Find a strategic objective.
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Step 5: Aim for an adequate choice.
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Step 6: Don't wait for the perfect choice.
Detailed Guide
You should put your decision into either a small, mid-term or big decision category.
Differentiating the relative importance of the decision in your life or business will allow you to put an appropriate amount of time and effort into it.
If you are trying to determine which vacuum cleaner to purchase, for instance, you should put less time and energy into the decision than if you were deciding whether to marry someone.
A small decision would be deciding what to eat for dinner or which shampoo to purchase.
A mid-term decision would be figuring out whether to work with someone on a new project.
A big decision would be deciding whether to pursue a new career.
When you look at your decision, you may notice a number of options that your gut tells you will be bad for your life or business.Cross off these options right away.
Now that you have them off your list, you can focus on choosing from amongst the better options., Break each hour into ten slots of six minutes.
Based on how much you make per hour, determine the dollar value of six minutes of your time.
Don’t spend more time and money on decisions that will not have a big impact on your work or finances.To determine how much time and money to spend on a decision, you may also find it helpful to consider the following:
The impact of the decision on other people.
The impact of the decision on your place of work.
The financial impacts of the decision.
Your level of responsibility for the decision.
The outcomes of a poor decision. , You may find it helpful to reduce the number of criteria that bear on your decision.
Although you may have multiple criteria to fulfill with the decision, you should try to distill the key criteria into a strategic objective.
Your strategic objective should fulfill one or two of the most important criteria. , Although it would be fantastic if there were a choice that fulfilled everything we were looking for, life rarely presents us with this situation.
So, you may as well figure out what you need in order to make an adequate choice.
An adequate decision will be one that meets the minimum criteria that you set for yourself, as opposed to the ideal conditions.
Once you have found a choice that meets your minimum criteria, make the decision and move on with life.If you are looking for a new car, figure out the most important criteria that you need to meet in order to find a car that will work for your life.
Once you have found a car that meets these criteria (price, color, model, year), make your choice and move on with life. , If you find yourself waiting around for a choice that meets your ideal set of conditions, you could end up doing research or contemplating the decision for a very long time.
Instead of waiting for an ideal choice, figure out which criteria are the most important for making an adequate decision.
About the Author
Stephanie West
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in organization and beyond.
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