Decision fatigue is real. And I’m suffering from it today. Thus the desire to post 2 days in a row!
My best advice (to myself, and to you as well) is to take this Theodore Roosevelt quote to heart:
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do it nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt
According to Wikipedia…
“In decision making and psychology, decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual, after a long session of decision making. It is now understood as one of the causes of irrational trade-offs in decision making. For instance, judges in court have been shown to make less favorable decisions later in the day than early in the day.”
Here’s to hoping we get to see the judge early in the day, right? Yikes.
After 25 years of being an entrepreneur, I believe that being decisive is absolutely vital to success. And yes, I do agree with T.R. that the wrong decision is better than no decision at all. And I believe in taking action on your decision and giving it a chance to work – or not work. This means giving something a 3 month window to prove it was good or bad. many of us waver too soon – never letting something unfold at all.
There are 2 articles I recommend you check out…
1) Five Tips for Making Better Decisions (Entrepreneur Magazine)
Particularly the part in #3. It always works for me.
“Turn your brain off. Insight comes when you least expect it. Similar to suddenly remembering the name of an actor that you think you’d just plumb forgotten. The same happens when you’re trying to make a decision. By simply turning your mind off for a while or even switching to a different dilemma, you’ll give your brain the opportunity to scan its data bank for information that is already stored and waiting to be retrieved.” – Entrepreneur Magazine
You can read the full article here: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/218164
2) Don’t Overthink It: 5 Tips for Daily Decision-Making (99U)
My favorite part of this article is the opening line…
“In an interview last year, I asked acclaimed graphic designer James Victore what made him so efficient. His simple reply: “I make decisions.”
Message received: to be more efficient one must make decisions. I’ll add to that that one should make them quickly and with determination – without being afraid to fail.
You can read the full article here: http://99u.com/articles/7043/dont-overthink-it-5-tips-for-daily-decision-making
Yes or No?
In the comments below, answer this simple question of the day.
Do you agree with T.R.’s believe that any decision is better than none at all? Yes or no?
Thanks for reading!
Jane
P.S. No lurking today, ya hear? Answer my simple question in the comments below. It’s WAY more fun for me if I hear back from you!
20 Responses
Yes!
Thanks, Scottie!
Agreed! Right this second in Limbo with what to do with the rest of my day and when I just make a decision to do it… the day will prove to be successful. But I feel like I could do 10 different things, so deciding feels… ugh… impossible, but being in this state is getting NOTHING accomplished. I’d be better off taking a nap and resting my mind.
Being in limbo is no fun at all! We can always do 10 different things, right? Just pick ONE and get started. Thanks for commenting, Erika!
No. I make wrong quick decisions all the time…and then i remake them…and sometimes again. I find my over decision making worse than no decision.
Fascinating! Good for you for being so self-aware.
Absolutely agree. Moving forward takes decision making. Moving in the right direction takes both good and bad decision making. You can only be sure you’re on the RIGHT path when you get off course and correct with other decisions to move you in the direction you’d like to go. Doing nothing is a form of decision making…the most passive kind there is. Not only does it lead us nowhere, it halt the efficient and forward progress on completely unrelated projects because it takes up mental space knowing we haven’t acted. Its like trying to relax when you know you’ve procrastinated on something that has to happen…you just can’t with that weight hanging over your head. Make the call, move forward. Judgement on “good” or “bad” can only come later once you see the results of your action.
I love this part of what you wrote, Lorilee, “Judgement on ‘good’ or ‘bad’ can only come later once you see the results of your action”. Terrific.
AGREE—Jane, thanks for the “kick in the rear” I needed to take me from being paralyzed and just doing business as usually. I agree with making a decision and giving it 90 days to see if the results are the direction you want to go. Lorilee is spot on as well– “Make the call, move forward. Judgement on good or bad can only come later once you see results of your action.”
Thanks for commenting, Joni. Glad to help with a little kick now and then!
Yes! Procrastination is the entrepreneur’s worst enemy. That’s what I’m loving about your Momentum group. It’s helping me to keep moving forward, one day at a time.
One day at a time indeed. That’s how stuff gets DONE. Good for you, Michelle.
No, I don’t agree with TRs decision making making process with that particular quote. I also believe that the decision of “doing nothing” is in fact, a decision.
Hi A.K.! Doing nothing is absolutely a decision – even if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes. Thanks for your input!
I agree with Theodore Roosevelt. If you make a decision, you start to move forward. When you indecisive, you waste the precious commodity that is time. I guess the point is if you made the wrong decision, don’t start beating yourself up for it. Rather analyze it and learn from the mistakes. If you continuously make the wrong decisions, don’t make excuses but get to the bottom of why you do it. And the best way to do it is external advise. Openly talk to successful person about your problem and be open to criticism and advise .
Thanks for you comment, Oxana. I agree that “beating yourself up” for making a bad decision is a terrible idea. It’s natural to do it, but it can cause us to over think every decision we make.
Not necessarily- especially with interpersonal and international stuff. I find that just sitting on a decision for a day or two can give me time to understand things better and then make a good decision. That said, sometimes I then forget to decide at all…and that is not good either!
Hi Marcie! I totally relate to sitting on a decision for a day or 2 then forgetting to make a decision at all. Ha! I never thought of it quite like that but I now realize I do that regularly. Thanks for your input.
YES!
Thanks Alyssa! Here’s to fast decision making in 2015!