The wrong decision is better than no decision
Decision paralysis is when you're struggling so badly between decision A and decision B that you make no decision at all. You do nothing.
You know what doing nothing gets you? You guessed it, nothing. The most significant barricade to success is inaction.
The consequences of decision paralysis are simple to grasp, but it can be a beast to overcome. And as the name implies, huge decisions can often be paralyzing.
Here are three steps to help you overcome decision paralysis.
1. DETERMINE THE CEILING AND THE FLOOR
Relieve the stress of a decision by acknowledging the best-case and worst-case scenarios. Answer these questions for each option:
- What's the best thing that can happen if I do this? How likely is the best case?
- What's the worst thing that can happen if I do this? How likely is the worst case?
This exercise breaks down fear and gives you more objective variables to evaluate.
2. STEP OUTSIDE OF YOUR BODY
It's easy to provide rational advice to others, but it's incredibly hard to make clear decisions for ourselves. This happens because emotions get in the way when making decisions for your life.
The fix, reflect on the situation as though you're advising someone else. How would you advise a colleague facing the same issue?
3. REFLECT AND ADJUST
The final piece to keep in mind is that almost no decision is permanent. You can always pivot if you find the decision you made is taking you down the wrong path. The time spent won't be wasted either. You'll have eliminated the wrong direction and you can move forward with conviction.
To give you momentum, we'll start you off with a really simple decision...
Grab a bag of Omyum right here. It'll be the best thing you do for your focus, mood, and productivity this week.
