Habits to Help You Make Better Decisions

The following is an excerpt from my new book, The Journey to Self-Mastery: Unlocking the Secrets to Persona Transformation.

Habits to Help You Make Better Decisions:

• Watch out for overconfidence, as it can swiftly result in bad decision-making. Studies consistently demonstrate that people tend to exaggerate both their performance and the accuracy of their knowledge. Comfort comes from familiarity and overconfidence, and there's a good chance you'll make some poor decisions since you've grown accustomed to your routines and need to be made aware of the risk or damage you're causing.
• Evaluate the risks associated with every action. The facts are the same in both cases, but research shows that people who hear "10% of people die" perceive their risk of failure to be higher. For example, take two surgeons who tell their patients, "Ninety percent of people who undergo this procedure live," and the other surgeon who says, "Ten percent of people who undergo this procedure die."
• Put the problem to rest. You could take much time analyzing the benefits, drawbacks, and possible risks and rewards when faced with a challenging decision, such as whether to relocate to a new place or change occupations. Additionally, data demonstrates that considering all your options has many benefits, but doing so excessively might be harmful.
• Make it a daily ritual to reflect on your choices for the day. When one of your decisions doesn't turn out nicely, consider what went wrong. Consider the lessons you can learn from every error you make. Set aside time to reflect on your errors, whether you forgot your umbrella at home and got soaked on the way to work or broke your budget because you couldn't resist an impulsive buy.
• Identify your shortcuts. You're biased in some respects, though admitting it can be awkward. It's hard to be entirely unbiased. In truth, your brain has developed heuristics, or mental shortcuts, to help you make judgments more quickly. These mental shortcuts might lead you astray even though they spare you from spending hours agonizing over every decision you make. Consider the mental shortcuts that result in poor decisions regularly. You can become more objective if you admit your false assumptions about people or circumstances.
• Take the opposing view. You're likely to hold onto a belief after you've decided it is true. It relates to the psychological concept of belief perseverance. There's a strong probability that you've formed some views that don't work for you, and it takes more convincing evidence to change a belief than it did to create it. For instance, you might shy away from speaking up in meetings because you think you're a poor public speaker. Or perhaps you quit dating because you feel you are a failure at relationships. Additionally, you've formed opinions regarding specific racial or ethnic groupings. These ideas that you assume are always true or 100% correct might lead you wrong, such as "People who work out a lot are narcissists" or "Rich people are evil." Arguing with yourself against your views is the most effective way of refuting them. For example, if you believe the wealthy are selfish or worse, cite examples of how wealthy individuals may be helpful or nice. Do you still believe that?
• Speak to yourself like you would a reliable friend. You'll probably find the solution more readily when you're visualizing yourself offering advice to someone else when you ask yourself, "What would I say to a friend who had this problem?"
• Establish a due date for the decision. According to research, setting a deadline for the decision allows us to advance rather than remain immobilized in the worry of making the wrong choice. The best method to give yourself a deadline is to establish a date for your final decision, so you have time to consider the benefits and cons and sit with your feelings. It can be a good way to avoid decision paralysis.
• ?Be mindful of your three brains. We all have three, not just you. Your cephalic (head) brain is the best brain for reasoning, rational decision-making, creativity, and empathy. Your cardiac (heart) brain can provide passion, compassion, and values. Your enteric (gut) brain contains courage, self-defence, and your authentic self. All three heads should be heard. Which one should be the deciding factor here?
• Apply the rule of ten. Before making a choice, consider where you'll be in ten days, ten weeks, ten months, and ten years from now. Then, consider how you will feel after making this choice.
• Identify your biases. While we must use our intuition and instincts, we must also critically examine our biases and understand that "acting on your gut" sometimes means being influenced by those biases.
• And finally, when making decisions, use your values as a compass and a filter. When presented with a difficult decision, ask yourself, "Is my decision consistent with my values? My ethical and moral beliefs?" and "How will this enhance my life?"