The way we make decisions is incredibly important. It is not just the obvious life changing decisions that make a difference, such as which career path to take, or who to marry. But it is also the multitude of trivial decisions that we make during the course of every day that matter. The reason is that those trivial decisions add up, slowly but surely shaping our lives.

You would think that making a decision would be straight forward? You have a choice of options, you take the best one and that’s the decision made. Sounds easy, yet many of us either take a choice which in hindsight was obviously wrong, or we dither hopelessly over an issue that hardly matters? Well, although the process sounds simple enough, it is in fact a skill. Like any skill, some people are naturally good, and others need a bit of help.

The good news is that whatever your skill level, it can be improved with a little coaching and practice. Since we make so many decisions, only a small improvement in our decision making process can have a big impact on the quality and direction of our lives.

The first step is to ensure a positive approach is taken. That may sound like a cliché, but just think about it for a moment. To be able to make decisions is essentially part of being human. To have that choice is a privilege and you should cherish the moment when life presents you with a decision, however big or small, since it is the accumulation of these decisions that put us where we are in our lives.

When a choice presents itself, say to yourself that you now have a decision to make. Own the decision and say to yourself, it is my life and my choice. This can be quite liberating since it can show you that you are capable of taking control of your life, by making your own good decisions. This will encourage you to take more decisive action.

Decide to be decisive! It’s very easy to procrastinate, and not make a decision, even though being in a state of indecision will be more stressful. If you are guilty of this malpractice, then eventually those decisions are made for you. By delaying you may find that either you lose an opportunity, or you are forced into a particular course of action. Often, the lack of a decision will have more troublesome consequences, than if you decisively take an inferior choice.

Take responsibility for your decisions. If you make a bad choice, you gain nothing from blaming someone else. If the problem lies with yourself, then you are in the best position to resolve what is going wrong. Adjust yourself and you have grown and improved, blame others and you have gained nothing.

Be prepared that you won’t make the right choice all of the time, and allow yourself to make these mistakes. If you have taken responsibility for the consequences of your decisions, then you will have a much better feel for the cause and effect that has just taken place. This will allow you to learn and improve from the experience far greater if you did not actively make the decision.

Indecision gives your consent to losing control of your choices, and blocks much of the experience that could otherwise have been gained. Learn to loath being indecisive, and replace this behaviour with a much more fulfilling decisive attitude.

Taking control does not mean that you should overstep the mark. If you are not qualified or authorized to make a particular decision, then better to refer the matter to someone more appropriate. This situation may occur more often in the workplace. Besides, deciding to refer to someone else is still a decision in itself.

Now let us look at the decision making process itself.

The type of decision will warrant how much effort you need to put into the process. For example, if you are looking at which novel to read next, then you should perhaps spend less time deciding, than say if you’re choosing which house to buy. You’re allowed some brief hesitation to think about trivial a decision, with just enough pause to become aware that you are making a decision. By consciously knowing you are making a decision, will encourage you to take appropriate action, and support your ability to learn and improve your skill.

For those more significant decisions, you will need to gather all the relevant information. For example if you are buying a car, you will want information such as price, insurance group, fuel efficiency, acceleration, depreciation and other details which are important to you. Discard information that does not contribute to the decision itself. For instance, if you are comparing two different cars and they have the same mpg, then this detail can be ignored, since it does not help in the selection.

Once you have gathered all the information you need, see what options you have. Most options will be obvious, but also try to be creative and think of possible alternative options as well.

Look at each option in turn with a positive attitude, noting down all things that are good about them. Then repeat, but with a negative attitude, and note all the things that are bad including any associated risks that you can imagine. You may also want to ask other people on their opinion, especially if the outcome will affect them.

Make sure that you have a true balanced opinion on each option. The impressively sounding ‘Decision Analysis Unit’ at the London School of Economics has studied the subject. (Well they would, wouldn’t they!) They have determined two reasons why people make bad decisions. The first is that people tend to overestimate that they are right. The second is that people tend to underestimate what can go wrong. Check to see if you are not falling for the same trap.

From your comprehensive list of analysed options, now is the time to pick one, and your decision is done! Well nearly but not quite. Just for a moment, use your emotional side and ask yourself how you feel about the result. This will bring in your intuition. Whether you believe intuition is based solely on all your previous experiences, or whether intuition has some higher connotation, you can use it to determine if you are satisfied with your choice. If you feel unhappy, then chances are, you have picked the wrong option, and you should pick another.

For example, all your logical thinking may bring you to buy an inexpensive but practical handbag. But if you feel unhappy about this choice, then maybe the more expensive, less sensible model is really the right choice.

Once you are happy with your choice, then you have completed your decision. Well done!

Now here is the final, easier to say than do, step. Stick to your decision. Make it your personality trait, to make a decision and commit to it. Remember that a wrong decision may not be a catastrophe; it may still be a workable solution, just not as good as an alternative choice. Whereas, changing your mind at a later date, even for a better option, will only serve to confuse and annoy others, and may cause more trouble than it’s worth.

Conversely, you will sometimes be in a situation where you really do need to overturn a decision. You should ensure that if you are going to change your mind, you should have a valid and strong reason for doing so. Your judgement will be called upon to reason whether a line has been crossed and changing your mind with courage is necessary. As with decision making, the more you practice your judgement, the better it shall improve. Your aim is to become decisive, with a tendency to commit to your decisions, only changing with serious good reason.

By setting goals for what you wish to achieve, will give much focus to your direction, rather than wondering aimlessly. Your goals can range from wanting an adventurous holiday, a promotion at work or a different career altogether. Think about what you want, and set this down as your personal goals. After all, this is your life, so you decide what you want out of it.

Similarly, decide on your principles. This does not happen overnight, but builds up over time with your experiences. For instance, do you value your family over work, is money important, what are your morals? There may be no obvious right and wrong answers when it comes to principles, but you should try to understand yourself, so that you know where you stand on particular issues.

Once you have defined goals and an understanding of your principles, you can use them in your everyday decisions. For any set of choices, relate them to your goals and principles. By aligning your decisions to your goals, then you will have a much better chance of achieving them, and an easier time in evaluating your options. Incidentally, if you make a choice to match a principal or goal, but feel unhappy about the result, then ask yourself if that goal or principal is right for you.

You can improve your life by improving your ability to make decisions. Let’s list those steps involved in the decision making process:

1.       Set goals and acknowledge your principals

2.       Decide to become a decisive person

3.       Gather necessary information

4.       List options, being creative if possible

5.       Evaluate your options, considering positive, negative and personal goals

6.       Pick the option you feel most satisfied

7.       Stick to your choices, unless you have very good reason to change