How To Make Better Decisions

Decisions matter. A lot.

So it’s surprising that in school they don’t teach us how to make better ones.

As a result, many of us navigate through life without solid principles to guide our choices, resulting in what feels like a sea of bad decisions.

We’ve all heard Tony Robbins’ famous quote, “One decision can change your life forever”.

That’s a lot at stake, right?

So it’s probably worth investing time to get good at making them.

But not all decisions hold the same weight.

Choosing a TV show to watch on a Thursday night? Not a big decision.

Deciding who to marry? A very big decision.

So as I currently grapple with a couple of major decisions at work, I spent last Saturday morning in a coffee shop documenting my thoughts about how to make better decisions.

Here are some of my raw notes:

• Distinguish between low and high-stakes decisions, and reversible and non-reversible ones.

• Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach; use lighter processes for reversible decisions.

• Prioritise quick decision-making for low stakes and reversible choices.

• Gather relevant information: Data and insights are essential for informed decisions.

• If resorting to a pros and cons list to make a decision, the answer is likely "no".

• Seek diverse perspectives from credible individuals for important decisions.

• Draw parallels from the past to understand potential consequences.

• Observe and learn from experts in the field you're dealing with.

• Dedicate time to develop intuition in the area of focus.

• Employ checklists for regular and important decisions to ensure thorough evaluation.

• Evaluate decisions at different levels (micro vs macro) to ensure they make sense when zoomed in or zoomed out.

• Divide decision-making from implementation to avoid potential biases.

As a next step, I plan to codify some of these high-level principles into frameworks which I’ll share once they’re done.

Until then, hopefully you find some wisdom in these notes that can help you make better decisions.

Remember, the decisions we make today, will dictate where we are tomorrow.

So decide wisely.