How To Make Better Decisions
As a human, you're faced with thousands of decisions every single day.
These can vary from major, life-changing decisions like choosing your spouse.
All the way down to the many micro decisions like what YouTube video to watch.
With there being so many decisions for you to make, it can be hard to make the right one.
I'm guilty of this.
I've spent much of my life as a young adult making terrible decisions.
Decisions which at the time felt like the right ones, but in hindsight were a complete waste of time.
If you're a young adult reading this, I'm sure you can relate.
There are more distractions in our world than ever before.
Distractions like:
- YouTube
- Netflix
- Tik Tok
- Tinder
The list goes on.
Sure, you and I are very fortunate to live in a time where war isn't an inevitability.
We're so lucky to have such a vast range of opportunities available to us.
And most crucial of all, we have access to the internet at any time and any place.
And yet, with these blessings come plenty of problems.
There are no doubt more opportunities for us to change our lives like never before.
But we are also faced with more daily distractions than our ancestors could ever imagine.
So how do we make good decisions?
Well, it depends on your goals.
If your goals are like mine, you need to master your mind.
I'm not there yet, by any means, but I understand what I have to do.
Here's what you should do too.
First, understand that your brain doesn't want what you want.
This might sound a bit weird, but it's true.
All the odd thoughts that come into your mind on a daily basis are not you.
It's just your brain running thought patterns that it's used to.
I'm not a neuroscientist so I'm not even going to try explaining the ins and outs of it.
All you need to know is that your brain isn't trying to make your life better.
Your brain still has a lot of ancient programming which hasn't adapted to the modern world we live in.
And as a result, you're doing things which aren't in your best interests.
Let's take a very common example.
Eating cake.
You know that eating cake is not the best option out there.
You know that there are plenty of other healthy options you can eat.
And you know that cake isn't good for you.
But you still eat the cake.
Why?
Because your brain is the best copywriter this planet has ever seen.
It knows all your secrets.
It knows everything you like, dislike, love and fear.
It is the master persuader which gets you to take action on things you know you'll regret.
Why?
Because it's trying to survive.
That's all your brain cares about.
Your brain doesn't want you to be living your dream life.
All your brain focuses on is survival.
The only problem is, survival isn't a problem!
If you're reading this, I'm going to assume you're living under a roof, with electricity and an internet connection.
You're not scavenging for firewood or hunting rabbits to stay alive, you're thriving.
But your brain doesn't know that.
As I said before, it's still running ancient programming from when you and I were cavemen.
That's why you need to do everything in your power to detach from what your brain wants and focus on what you want.
I don't want to turn this into a Cartesian debate about whether you're your mind or your body.
Chances are your neither!
Ok now that I've covered the brain, let me give you a useful tool that will help you make better decisions.
It's called the Eisenhower Matrix.
Aside from having a cool name, it also serves a useful purpose when it comes to decision making.
Here's the gist.
If you have an urgent task that's also important. Do it.
Do it now!
If you have a task that's important but it can wait. Schedule a time to do it later.
If you have to do something that's not important but urgent. Delegate it to someone else.
And , if you want to do something that's unimportant and isn't urgent. Don't do it.
Now I'll give you some examples:
1. Important + Urgent = A sales call with a potential client
2. Important + Not Urgent = Lead Generation/Copywriting practice
3. Not Important + Urgent = Cooking/Cleaning
4. Not Important + Not Urgent = Tik Tok/Netflix/YouTube etc.
I hope that clears up a few things for you.
But now I can already hear your protests coming through the screen.
"But what if I like Tik Tok/ Netflix/ YouTube!"
You don't.
Your brain does.
Why?
Because the companies mentioned above are masters at keeping your attention.
They know exactly how to keep people on their platforms for as long as possible.
Think about the famous "Netflix binges" that you and all your friends used to do.
Can't you see how destructive that is?
Regardless of whether Breaking Bad is a good TV show or not, you shouldn't spend all your time consuming.
How are you going to create anything if all you do is consume?
The reason you think you like it is because watching videos makes you feel good.
Why do you feel good?
Because your brain is being flooded with cheap dopamine.
You didn't have to work for your dopamine.
All you did was sit back, press a few buttons and consume endless amounts of entertainment.
I get it, I'm working through this as well.
But you have to overcome this if you want to live your dream life.
That doesn't mean abandoning these websites entirely.
But it does mean controlling your use.
Ask yourself this question:
Will abandoning entertainment on YouTube damage your life?
The answer is no.
Now ask yourself a different question:
Will spending the next 10 years on YouTube only consuming entertainment improve your life?
The answer again, is no.
This also raises the question of what you identify with, but I'll leave that for another day.
I hope you found this valuable and also look forward to seeing you progress.
- Finlay
If you want help making better decisions, send me a message on Linkedin.