The life of each of us is an endless stream of decisions. You constantly have to choose: what to buy, how to spend the evening, what profession to choose, what deal to accept and what to reject, etc.

Fortunately, in most cases, making the right decision is quite simple. Our subconscious does not have to spend a lot of time choosing one of the options, since it is definitely better. But there are situations when it is not clear which of the chosen options will bring more benefit and less harm.

Remember the legendary film “The Matrix”, when Morpheus asked Neo to choose one of the pills. From the outside it may seem that choosing freedom and life in reality was easier and more correct than forgetting everything and continuing to exist in a fairy tale. In fact, most people choose the other side in their lives.

But we're getting a little off topic. So, there are situations when it is not easy to make the right decision. Each of the possible options has a lot of advantages and even more disadvantages that we would not like to receive. In addition, each of the options will have a lot of consequences that we could not even imagine.

2 approaches to decision making

There are two ways that can help us make a choice. We have used each of them in our lives, it’s just that some people choose one more often, others more often use the second.

1. When to turn on logic?

Careful consideration of possible options and their consequences is characteristic of making logical decisions. Using this approach, we can weigh the pros and cons, analyze the possible benefits and losses of each of the possible options.

The logical approach is best used in situations where there is a lot of input data and most of the consequences are easily predicted. As a rule, this approach is best used in business and in any other business areas of life, in cases where the possible risks are very high.

2. When to use intuition?

Often we find ourselves in a situation where it is almost impossible to imagine the further development of events. There is no past experience corresponding to similar situations, and there is no way to extract and analyze information from other sources. And you need to make a decision quickly, since “delay is like death.”

In this case, there is nothing left to do but listen to your intuition and make a quick and unambiguous choice. All the same, we will not be able to make any accurate forecasts.

The need to make such decisions almost always arises in personal life and in everything related to human feelings and emotions.

Regardless of which approach you prefer, I recommend that you adhere to the following five principles to help you make the right decision:

Principle 1. Never rely on “maybe”. Always make your own decision.

Don't wait for everything to work itself out or for someone else to do it for you. Indecision is also a decision, but in this case you are no longer in control of the situation, and therefore have no power over your life. Often people put off making a decision until there are no more equivalent options worthy of consideration, and this is no longer a decision.

Consciously making a decision, even an unpleasant one, will prepare you in advance to accept its consequences and, most likely, it will be easier for you to cope with its negative consequences. And maybe you can even find a way to get rid of some of the problems associated with this.

Principle 2. Make a decision quickly.

By postponing the decision until later, we usually increase our bet in this game. As a rule, intuition tells us the best ways, but intuition only works for a short time, then all your past experience, fears, doubts and other nonsense that your brain is loaded with comes into play. All this only clutters our consciousness and pushes us to mistakes.

The sooner you can decide on your choice, the more time you will have to prepare for its negative consequences. There will be time to “spread the straw”, as a result, you will be able to extract more benefit from the path you have chosen.

Principle 3. Once you make a decision, start acting immediately and don’t stop.

Nothing delays achieving your goals more than procrastination. Having once postponed the implementation of your decisions, it will not be difficult for you to postpone in the future, and this risks the fact that you will never achieve the goals for which you made the decision. Often, what we thought about and decided to do is forgotten after a few days. No one has yet canceled the long box - it is in it that all our greatest achievements are stored.

Principle 4. Don't change your mind halfway through the process.

Achieving any result requires time and effort. There is no point in expecting that the result will come easily and quickly. And if you constantly change your decisions, then all this will be similar to Brownian motion (the chaotic movement of the molecules of a substance, in which the substance itself does not move anywhere) and no result will definitely come.

Get it into your head that you can only get results by reaching the end.

If you decide to become rich, then follow through. If after a week you decide that this is difficult and it’s better to become healthy. Stop saving money and start eating right. In another week you will stop eating vegetables, because... you want barbecue, and decide to be beautiful by playing sports. Then you can continue on your own.

Principle 5. The most important. Never regret your decision.

Often people believe that they have made the wrong decision. It was necessary to act differently. The trick is that you will never be able to find out whether you did the right thing, because... impossible to check. Always consider your choice to be the only correct one.

For example, you bought a car, and a week later its engine broke down. My first thought was that I had to buy another one, but on the other, at the most inopportune moment, the brakes could fail. What would be better?

In fact, making the right decision is not difficult, it is much more difficult to take responsibility for its consequences! Follow the given rules, they will help you and get outstanding results.

Good luck, Dmitry Zhilin

The philosopher Jean Buridan lived in France in the 14th century. I composed a lot of things. But he was remembered by posterity for his parable about a donkey who died of hunger because he couldn’t choose which one was better to start with from two identical armfuls of hay. Don't we also look like such ass when we try to make an important decision?

Our expert - psychologist Marianna Gorskaya.

From early childhood until the end of our days, we are forced to live in a state of constant choice. What to wear: a blue dress or a red one? Which fan would you prefer: reliable or witty? Where to go to study: to a prestigious university or where it is easier? Which job to choose: profitable or interesting? And so - in everything. I really don’t want to make a mistake when the choice concerns really important things!

A million torments

It’s easiest in this regard for fatalists and people who don’t care. You float according to the will of the waves - where fate will steer you, and you don’t know trouble. Whichever dress hangs closest is what you should wear. Which of the suitors will be more persistent will marry him. Whichever employer shows more interest will get it. People with developed intuition also have a good life, as well as those who consider themselves such, and therefore are convinced that their choice is always infallible. Everyone else suffers, doubts, despairs and wonders how global decisions can be made, relying on ephemeral intuition or the blind will of fate! However, it is precisely this approach, condemned by many, that, according to psychologists, often contains great life wisdom. After all, it’s impossible to calculate all the possible developments of events, so sometimes it’s better to just trust your sixth sense or even rely on Russian chance. And then act according to the circumstances.

But before you take the final step, it would be nice to weigh everything carefully. And only if, after much thought, the answer does not come by itself, then you can use your intuition or take risks.

Comprehensive approach

There are many rational methods of decision making. For example, there is a well-known psychological technique: write down the pros and cons of a particular choice on a piece of paper in two columns, and then use a simple mathematical calculation to decide which one is more profitable. There is a more advanced way. It is called "Descartes square". This method of decision-making is ideal when you need to choose whether to take a life-changing step or whether it is better to leave everything as is. For example, you can resort to this method to decide whether to divorce your husband or not, change your job or stay the same, take out a mortgage or not, put up with your mother-in-law or not communicate with her for the rest of your days. The essence of this simple technique is to look at the situation more broadly, not from one or two, but from four different sides. To do this, you need to divide a sheet of paper into 4 columns and answer 4 questions:

• What will happen if this happens? (The benefits of getting what you want.)
• What happens if this doesn't happen? (Pros of not getting what you want.)
• What will NOT happen if this happens? (Disadvantages of getting what you want.)
• What will NOT happen if this does NOT happen? (Disadvantages of not getting what you want.)

After all, we often consider only the pros and cons of the occurrence of a possible event, but do not take into account the positive and negative aspects of the “status quo”. And a comprehensive assessment allows you to avoid unnecessary risks. And then you won’t have to endure annoying losses that could have easily been avoided. We wish you to make fewer mistakes!

Every day we have to make dozens of decisions - to do this or that, agree or refuse.

And almost every time this is accompanied by doubts, worries and postponement of decision-making.

So how? make the right decision and learn to make the right choice?

Here are 10 ways.

1 - Just make the decision that you like.

According to statistics, 7 decisions out of 10 managers of large companies turn out to be wrong. 40% of companies that were included in the list of the 500 best companies in the world 20 years ago no longer exist.

Even the most successful and experienced people make mistakes very often.

So relax, make a decision and start taking action.

You need to understand that while you are thinking, you are standing still and wasting time.

You are not a sapper for whom any mistake is fatal.

Even if you make a mistake, you have a second, third, or as many attempts as you like. Plus, every time you do something, you gain knowledge, experience and better begin to understand how to make the right choice.

2 - Determine the price of your solution.

What happens if you do this or that and the choice turns out to be wrong? Write down the possible consequences and make a decision based on this. But you should know that a decision with minimal consequences often produces weak results.

For strategic tasks, it is a good idea to write down the possible consequences of your decision. With Canva, you can create an online decision tree that will help you visualize possible alternatives and make it easier to make the right decision. - https://www.canva.com/ru_ru/grafik/derevo-resheniy/

3 - Determine the best result - Which decision will move you the most forward? Those who strive for more win in life. And those who are afraid to take risks are content with ordinary life. Think, maybe sometimes it's worth taking a risk. Yes, you can lose more. But you can get more. And even if you fail, you can always return to another decision. So go for it. Success favors the brave.

4 - Ask your subconscious - most people try to make a decision based on logic. But its capabilities are limited by the amount of information that is in the mind.

Use your subconscious. In the evening, think about your problem and possible solutions. And before going to bed, ask yourself - Which solution should you choose?

And in the morning you will wake up with a clear understanding of what is worth doing.

All our experiences are stored in our subconscious. And we only get access to it in our dreams. Plus, the subconscious can connect to the unified information field of the universe. Remember, Mendeleev discovered his table in a dream.

So ask your subconscious a question and go to bed. You will learn more about this technique in this video.

5 - Do something- To make the right decision you need to have certain information. But where can I get it? Books, videos, articles are just theories. The information you need will only be given by practical experience, which can only be obtained by doing something.

If you are in doubt or choosing from several options, just do something in the direction of each option. And you will immediately understand which solution is best for you.

6 - Ask a more successful person - Such a person can help you in literally 5 minutes. He knows and can do more than you. Look for successful people around you. Sign up for training. Ask your question on a thematic forum or group. The only thing is that you don’t need to ask everyone. Listen only to those who have actually solved problems similar to yours and have real life experience in overcoming them. But if there is no such person, then

7 - Imagine yourself as a super hero- Put yourself in the shoes of a person who is a symbol of confidence and success for you. And think about what solution he would choose.

Often, internal fears and doubts prevent you from making a decision. When you imagine yourself as a super hero, all this disappears and making a decision becomes much easier.

8 - Expand the number of options - Often people choose from 2-3 options. But there are many more possible solutions. Gather information, ask friends, think about other solutions. Such work will allow you to better understand the situation, expand your consciousness and allow you to choose the most informed decision.

9 - Let your brain sort everything out - Modern man decides a lot on the run, on emotions, in a time-poor mode.

But if you take a day of rest, calm down, stop thinking too much, then a lot becomes clearer and a decision is chosen by itself.

There is a good expression: morning is wiser than evening. So just disconnect from the problem, do something pleasant and make a decision with a fresh mind.

10 - Write down all the pros and cons and compare

Choose 2-3 options and write each on a separate sheet. And make a list of pros and cons. This clarifies a lot and it immediately becomes clear to you which solution is more beneficial for you.

That's all.

But remember, a decision is not a decision until you act on it.

To make it easier for you, here are 50 step-by-step instructions

), one of the readers asked the question: “What does it mean to make a decision and how to do it?”
At first glance, the question is strange, but if you think about it, it is much more serious than it seems.

To make a decision, you need to have the intention to change your life or something specific in life.
A decision presupposes subsequent action, and if the decision has no consequences, then it remains only an intention.
If you have no intention of changing your life, you will not be able to make a serious decision about your life and your future.

A person is ready or not ready for change. If he is ready, then the decision made does not raise any doubts in him, even if the implementation of the decision is associated with inconvenience and difficulties.

It is very important to start thinking in a certain direction and the energies of Pure Light and Pure Mind coming to Earth today will help you not only see yourself from the outside, but also determine your future path, if not in general, then at least in stages. To do this, you need to set high, far-reaching goals.
Defining a goal is already a decision. If you have not made the decision to go towards a goal, then you will never know how to achieve this goal, you will not even see the opportunities presented to you.

If you have the intention to change your life, then another question arises: “How to move from intention to action?”

Change can only come into your life if you make room for it. To get something, you have to give up something. To make room for the new, get rid of the old. People with old junk are not accepted into a new life.

Water floods the old.
The past burns in fire.
Hurricanes carry away excess.
Tornadoes uproot what is unnecessary.

We hold on tightly to the old,
And the past is dear to us,
And we can’t do without unnecessary things,
And we need the unnecessary.

The old pulls us into the past,
There is so much unnecessary in the past,
This is superfluous, long unnecessary,
And what we needed became superfluous to us.

The spent old past -
Heavy, unnecessary, predatory.
It closes off the future.
It is, in fact, superfluous.

If you don’t get rid of it yourself, tomorrow they will take it from you: things that do not correspond to the times will deteriorate, equipment will break, unnecessary connections will be severed...
If you don’t set a goal today to leave a job that’s not right for you, you’ll miss the chance to leave on time and sooner or later you’ll be kicked out; if you live in a rented apartment and do not set yourself the goal today of having your own apartment or house, then you are giving up the opportunity you have; If you don’t decide today to develop your abilities, then tomorrow you may no longer have these abilities.

Each person has his own: one needs to decide to start a family, another to get a divorce, a third to move to another area, a fourth to return to their homeland. Some people need to go travel, while others need to leave their parents' home and start an independent life. How many people - so many decisions.
Last chance to make the right decision for yourself. There won't be any more chances. At best, you will remain dissatisfied with what you have, and at worst, you will remain broke, as in the famous fairy tale.

The Energies of the Highest Wisdom are already coming to Earth, and after them will come the Energy of the Incarnation of Divine Love - the most powerful catalyst of all existing processes. If you do not decide to get out of the process of disintegration, then you will remain in this irreversible disintegration.

A person, being at a crossroads when making an important decision, is guided by two extremes - good and bad. What comes after we do or don't do something important? Will it be the end of the world or will peace and harmony reign? Why do we go to extremes? Is there really no middle ground?

From an early age, every person regularly faces a choice:

Should I wear pants or a skirt today?
with a handsome guy or spend an evening with a smart and interesting admirer?
Should I go to college as a vocation or should I listen to my parents in choosing a profession?
Want to get an interesting or profitable job?

You can continue endlessly! How difficult it is to make the right decision when the choice concerns such serious things as the choice of profession or workplace.

There are people in the world who do not doubt the correctness of the decision made. One can only envy them.

Fatalists don't give a damn.

This category of people involuntarily. They do not torment themselves with choice, they go with the flow in the direction where the “finger of fate” points. It’s easier for them to reach out, take out what they’re grabbing from the closet, and put it on without thinking. Go on a date with whoever calls first. Go to study at the institute that... Whatever job comes up first, you will stay in that one for the rest of your life. And, in their own way, they are absolutely right! Why torment yourself with unnecessary doubts if life itself will put everything in its place?

Intuition.

There is another category of people who never doubt the correctness of their choice. These are individuals with developed. Or those who believe that they have this feeling. They never doubt the correctness of the decision made. After all, the confidence that intuition will not let them down will not leave them.

But such people are in the minority; the rest are tormented, tormented and doubtful.

When you doubt the correctness of a decision, the “Descartes square” will help

What does a person rely on when he doesn’t know what to do correctly in a given situation?

It is possible to calculate the development of events down to the smallest detail only if you use the theory of probability. And then the value will be very approximate. However, few of us know how to do this. Therefore, by trusting to chance, you can achieve better results than those when a person intends to “swim against the tide” only in order to prove that the decision was correct.

To learn how to correctly assess the current problem and take the decisive step, use the “Descartes square”.

There are many ways that can show the pros and cons of a decision. For example, you can divide a sheet of paper into two parts. In the first column, write down the advantages that you will gain as a result of the decision made. The second is the cons.

The most effective method is considered to be the “Descartes square”. Now the sheet of paper is divided into four parts, each of which contains a question that requires a detailed answer:

Positive aspects of getting what you want. (What awaits if you accomplish what you planned);
Positive aspects of not getting what you want. (What awaits if you don’t accomplish what you planned);
Negative aspects of wish fulfillment. (What can be avoided if you get what you want);
Negative aspects of not achieving what you want. (What can be avoided if you don’t get what you want).

By answering the questions asked in each square, you will quickly come to the right decision. Here you need to evaluate and weigh all the pros and cons that may arise as a result of your decision, and make the only correct one.

What influences the search for the right solution?

What is the right decision? This is the distance between the starting point (task) and the point at which a person will receive satisfaction of his needs and plans (solution). This process involves all components of a person’s personality: mind, will, character and motivation. All this both helps and hinders the right decisions. Assess yourself, try to remember what exactly motivates you at that moment when you need to mobilize all your efforts to concentrate on one task. Sweep away the unnecessary and remove the unnecessary from yourself.

Confirmation.

When searching for the right solution, a person weighs all the components of the expected success. Choose based on the facts, do not be guided by speculation and illusory “what if.” Ignore information that you consider contradictory, look for a rational grain.

Subsequence.

Every action you take to solve a problem must be consistent.

The vector of thinking about the problem should be directed to one point. Take the shortest route, without being distracted by lyrical digressions from the topic.

Mobility.

This refers to a person’s ability to respond to a changing situation. With the emergence of new facts that contradict the decision you have chosen, you should adequately assess the situation and take appropriate measures.

Concentration.

When making a decision that is important to you, it is advisable to abstract yourself from other problems. The brain’s efforts need to be directed to a specific task, the completion of which determines peace of mind, material well-being, or the future in general.

Selectivity.

Choose facts that are truly noteworthy. Discard unnecessary information, do not consider important what is not worth your attention and effort.

Life experience.

When making serious decisions, you should not rely only on your own experience. Consult with smart people, watch TV shows, look for advice on the Internet or books.

Don't put your abilities first. The successes you have achieved before are a combination of your contribution, the help of others and a happy coincidence of circumstances. Draw conclusions from mistakes, try not to “step on the same rake” in the future.

Concentrate, choose the path you will take to make a decision, calm down and act. In the matter of awareness and development of an action plan, there should not be excessive haste, fanaticism and inflated forecasts about the result. These moments reduce the effectiveness of the process and give victory a bitter taste of dissatisfaction.

3 strategies will help you not doubt your decision

The method of Canadian professor Henry Mintzberg will help you make the right decision. In his opinion, there are three steps to success:

Action.

This process means you don't have time to think. There is a category of decision making that implies that there is simply no time to think. We must act immediately. Then the attitudes laid down by the instinct of self-preservation, personal experience and the mistakes of other people come into force. To properly evaluate such situations, learn to learn from everything that life throws at you. In a specific situation it often saves.

The process of thinking about a situation for a long time is inherent in representatives of Western culture. It implies an algorithm of the following actions:

And the formulation of the problem;
Systematization of the received data;
Direction adjustment;
Assessment of parameters influencing the result and selection of the necessary means for;
Search for alternative solutions and options for the development of events;
Assessment of possible outcomes of events;
Decision and action.

Intuition.

People who make decisions on an intuitive level are guided by inspiration, which they themselves characterize as a kind of “insight” that came suddenly. It happens that a person spends a long time looking for an answer to a specific question that haunts him. He falls asleep and wakes up with this thought. One fine day, he realizes that there is no problem at all, the solution is already in his head. In the subconscious of every person there is a hidden system of knowledge and life experience. At a critical moment, all body processes are activated, which allows you to quickly navigate the current situation.

There are four stages of decision making on an intuitive level:

Identifying the problem and collecting information about it. This process involves thinking, emotional aspects, personal experience and environmental influences;
Concentrating all mental functions on understanding the problem in order to feel the depth and possibility of its solution;
Insight (illumination), which replaces reflection;
Double-checking facts, comparative analysis of the results of developments and final adjustments.

How to make a decision and no longer doubt

So, what is considered the most important factor for good decision making? Of course, there is enough time to think, systematize factors, find the right course of action and choose one solution from several possible ones. To learn how to make decisions you will never regret, use the following tips:

Time and place.

Don't act spontaneously in taking important steps. Schedule time when you can be alone.

If you wake up the next morning feeling relieved, go for it! If not, then the solution is not correct, or not the only correct one.

Making a fateful decision. You get the feeling that there is a wall in front of you, against which you have rested your forehead, and there is no further passage. Step away from the problem for a while. For example, go to the cinema to dispel. Distract your brain from the load that forces it to work under time pressure. But as soon as you feel that the feeling of heaviness in your soul has passed, return to the problem with renewed vigor.

Important and necessary.

Think about the necessity of what you are doing now. Is this really of such value to you that it’s worth the effort and nerves? If you are on the right path, then doubts about the need to solve this problem should be dismissed. If not, then you must clearly decide for yourself what benefit is driving you.

Having made a preliminary decision, do not rush to act. Once again, evaluate the options for the development of events, compare them with previous experience, remember the mistakes of your friends, and only then proceed to implement the planned plan.

The moment you realize that your decision is the only possible and correct one, you will feel relief. Now everything has fallen into place. It’s easier for you, but you have to act strictly according to plan. Do not forget that the result you want to achieve depends on the accuracy of the sequence of actions.