Now that we know the importance of good decision making and how it gives us the power to shape our own future, let’s look at how we can process our thoughts to arrive at a decision: a decision that we wouldn’t regret and a decision that would give us inner satisfaction.

1. Gut instincts

It’s when your gut feelings overpower your cognitive processes. You simply feel like selecting a particular option or going a certain way. You don’t have valid reasons but you can somehow sense that a particular decision is would be right for you. It comes naturally, so don’t try to dive deep into its intricacies or logic.

2. Past experiences

Experiences teach us more than any other thing. It’s a practical exposure. Whether good or bad, past experiences shape our future decision making. Whenever you face a similar kind of situation, try and analyze what decision you had made in the past. Did that decision turn out to be right for you? Or had you regretted making a wrong choice?

Hence, analyze the past experiences from 360 degrees and arrive at the present decision.

3. Weighing the pros and cons

This is a cognitive process unlike going with your instincts. When you don’t get natural gut feelings, you better go with a systematically weighed decision.

Take a paper and pen, literally! Write down the pros and cons of taking a particular decision and weigh them against each other. If you have a whole list of cons that outweigh the pros, it’s time to tick that decision off.

But what when the pros and cons weigh almost equally? Follow this technique!

4. Eliminating the unwanted choices

Most often than not, we know what we don’t want. Hence eliminating the choices we don’t want narrows down the options in front of us. And that leads to an easier decision making process. Shooing away the unwanted options brings a lot of clarity.

5. Information

Data, facts, figures, statistics, reports etc. are used and analyzed by huge businesses to arrive at critical decisions. Similarly, you can use information or facts to make informed choices.

Ultimately, we should be happy with the decisions we take. Even if the decisions do not turn out right, we learn. Such experiences help us to take better and faster decisions in the future.