I was confronted with indecision last month and I promised myself that I would come up with a method to deal with tough decisions in a painless way. Well boys and girls, today I bring you a decision-making technique developed by yours truly. Hope you can apply it and enjoy your decision-making processes.

First off, let me point out that if choosing an option is tough, most likely it means that all the options are appealing, therefore you’ll be ok with any decision you make. With this in mind you can make the decision-making process as pleasant or as excruciating as you wish.

Ideas underlying my technique:

  • Time spent over-analyzing is time wasted.
  • Indecision will prevent you from moving to the next step (forget about running to the next wave).
  • Once you choose one option, the road ahead will keep you entertained enough to soon forget the other options that you had.
  • Long mental debates drain your energy and ability to think effectively and efficiently.
  • There is no such thing as a wrong decision. The point is to move forward. Show life some determination and she’ll water and shine on the seeds that you sow.
  • The road you choose will inevitably take you where your heart wants to go. (Yes, hearts are powerful dudes and they do rule the world but that’s another story.)

Now, here is my 3 step decision-making technique:

  1. Write each one of your options on separate pieces of paper.
  2. Place them in front of you.
  3. Count to five and pick one. You are done!

Stick to your selection and move along, happy and proud of yourself. You are going to do just great. 🙂

I understand that some of you may be skeptical of my technique and if you are, here is a thought process that I hope will help you dissipate your doubts:

  • In a week from now, will the choices that you left aside matter as much as they seem to matter now?
  • If the answer is “no”, the choice you made using the 3 step technique is just perfect.
  • If the answer is “yes”, is it because of “what if” reasons? If so, stick to your initial decision, “what ifs” are tricks your mind plays on you to sabotage your success. Your mind may want to sabotage your success because of fear of the unknown and to keep you on your comfort zone.

And that’s it. Easy enough, don’t you think? I would love to hear your experiences with your decision-making processes, so please feel free to leave your comments down below or to send me an email and share!

P.S. There are decisions that are hard because the option that you want may hurt someone else. This is a no-brainer for me: don’t ever hurt anyone. Period.