Did you know an average adult makes 35000 decisions per day?
The number is outrageous. We choose what time to get out of bed, to snooze or not to snooze the alarm, to have coffee or tea or another beverage, to make the bed or not. All these decisions are to be made. The only differentiating factor is the stake attached to each decision.
To make decisions that have high stakes e.g life-changing decisions, you should consider the following:
1. The consequence
Do not fear the consequence. Whatever happens, whether good or bad you have the psychological resilience to deal with it. Whatever the future has in store will hurt or please far less than you imagine.
2. Instincts
You need to trust your gut. At times, the information you have may not help you make the decision.
3. Emotions
Our level of motivaton and thinking is affected by emotions. Emotions may or may not help you make a decision, the odds are almost similar to that of a coin toss.
4. Bias
When making a choice we already have a clue of what we will choose. This becomes a disadvantage especially if we believe we are making a good decision by weighing alternatives but, what we are really doing is justifying the choice we already made.
5. Facts and Figures
Do not be attached to irrelevant facts and figures especially if you do not have a lot of information to go on.
6. Investment and Commitment
The more we invest in certain things the more we feel more committed, this is commonly known as the sunk cost fallacy. To make a decision, remind yourself that the past is the past, whatever is done is done.
7. Point of View
We all have different perspectives, which is a good thing, though it may not hurt getting a different perspective.
8. Peer Pressure
Peer pressure may lead you to make good or bad decisions, know the difference.
9. Options
Limit your options. Less is always more.
10. Control
In some situations, it may seem that we will be dissatisfied with any choice we make thus it is easier to give up control and push it to someone else.