Eight Ways to Improve Your Decision Making Abilities
Did you know that an average adult makes 35,000 decisions every day?
From the seemingly mundane—like debating whether to hit that snooze button for a precious nine more minutes of sleep in the morning or choosing what to have for lunch—to the more pivotal choices, such as deciding whether to pursue further education or jump straight into the job market, determining if it’s the right time to ask for a raise or a promotion, deciding to buy a house or continuing to rent and save, and choosing between two promising job candidates, there are so many decisions to be made at every stage of life.
Unfortunately, many of us occasionally find ourselves paralyzed by choices, regretting our decisions, and crying over missed opportunities.
Follow the eight golden strategies of decision making abilities below if you feel you’re often on the losing side of choices and want to change that.
1. Consult a Psychic
Turning to a psychic to supercharge your decision making abilities might sound unconventional, but why not?
Psychics have intuitive abilities that can help you see your life’s choices in a different light. They can tap into energies or patterns you’re not consciously aware of and bring underlying feelings or influences to light that may be steering your decisions.
Many individuals believe psychic readings are a powerful way for gaining clarity, understanding the deeper motivations behind their choices, and challenging their thinking patterns to make better decisions.
2. Interact with People of All Ages
You should surround yourself with the wisdom of those older than you. Also, the fresh perspectives of younger generations can help gain the advantage of seeing scenarios through multiple lenses.
Connecting with the older generation can offer valuable lessons in long-term planning. They’ve experienced the highs and lows of life and can guide you with real-world knowledge. On the other hand, the youth can remind you of your earliest ambitions, achievements, and setbacks. Celebrating past victories with them will instill a rejuvenated sense of confidence while revisiting past errors can remind you what you must steer clear of.
So, next time you’re at a family gathering or in a social setting, try to engage in a meaningful conversation with someone from a different generation than yours. It could be a family member, a neighbor, a colleague, or a stranger. These discussions might offer the perspective shift you need to make more precise, unbiased decisions.
3. Learn Basic Probability
If you’re trying to decide between two options and one choice has a higher chance of success, wouldn’t you want to know?
Understanding the basics of probability can be a game-changer for making more informed choices.
Instead of basing decisions on gut feelings and cognitive biases, grounding them in probability offers an analytical lens to assess risks and rewards. Whether you’re evaluating a job offer, planning an investment, or deducing the best day for an outing based on weather forecasts, this skill is invaluable.
If you’re new to the concept, investing just 30 minutes to an hour can make great difference. You can pick up a beginner’s guide or watch online tutorials as a starting point.
4. Explore Facts and Opinions
Making sound decisions requires blending hard facts with insightful opinions. Both play a crucial role in forming a comprehensive understanding of any situation.
When buying a product, most people trust options that look good on paper. The specifications may tell how cost-effective and durable something is. Still, you can only learn about potential challenges when you expand your research to include customer reviews and industry peer recommendations.
The takeaway? Facts give you the groundwork, but opinions can fill the gaps to ensure a holistic approach to decision making abilities.
5. Be Less Certain and Question Everything
Certainty feels comforting, but sometimes, it can be a blindfold.
With certainty comes overconfidence, which makes people overlook alternative solutions.
Whenever your mind tells you A would lead to B, take a step back and analyze your thought process. Are you being too confident about it?
You must dive deep into the “whys” and “hows” before making choices. It might feel uncomfortable initially, but trust the process to lead you to more thoughtful decisions by encouraging exploration, research, and a willingness to find potentially better options.
6. Weigh the Pros and Cons
Whenever faced with a choice, big or small, try the classic, time-tested approach of jotting down the pros and cons. It’s amazing how laying things out visually can bring clarity.
It fosters critical thinking, encourages self-reflection, and pushes you to consider the broader implications of your decisions. More importantly, it emphasizes the quality or significance of each advantage and disadvantage instead of counting the number of pointers on each side.
7. Integrate Arts and Culture into Your Life
Diving into arts and culture can boost your mood and help you focus better, which comes in handy when making decisions.
All you have to do is dedicate 45-60 minutes three days a week to stepping out of your usual routine and trying something different. It could be a weekly salsa class, watching an opera once a month, visiting local art exhibits, learning to play the guitar, or painting scenes from your favorite movie.
Every month, jazz things up a little by trying activities you’ve never thought of doing before. It’ll ignite creativity and take your decision-making ability to the next level.
8. Experiment with Cooking
Cooking can be a brilliant exercise in decision-making. With every dish, you’re presented with choices: Which spices? How long does it take to cook? What pairing works best?
Experimenting in the kitchen hones your decision-making skills and teaches you to be adaptable and innovative. You could make it a weekend ritual to try new recipes from around the world or host dinners for friends and family. As you get lost in cooking, mixing ingredients, and perfecting flavors, you’ll feel more confident handling choices in other parts of your life.
Final Thoughts
Making great decisions is all about balance—using your heart and mind, facts and feelings to arrive at what aligns with your core values and goals.
Mastering probability, writing down the pros and cons, and questioning everything are classic strategies for better decisions. Add psychic readings, cooking experiments, befriending the younger and older, and arts and cultural activities to the mix, and you’ll transform the quality of your choices and your overall confidence.
