UCanMakeItIfYouTry – Making Quicker Decisions
Do you know what you are going to eat for supper tonight? What will you wear tomorrow? Should you take that new promotion or focus on your own business? We have to make decisions daily. Some will not have much consequence for our future. Others will. Making fast decisions is an asset to your personal and professional growth. Use these tips to become faster at decision-making.
1 – Practice When You Are Not Under Pressure
How do professional athletes become excellent in their skills? They practice when the game is not on the line. Pressure makes us hesitate to make decisions, so why not emulate athletes and practice fast decision-making when you are not under pressure.
2 – Make Simple Decisions Faster
If you struggle to make a simple decision, you will struggle to make the bigger ones. For example, if you can’t decide between a mocha and a latte, you probably change your mind on more important decisions. Give yourself 30 seconds to make small decisions, and then follow through. You will train your brain to think through options faster.
3 – Give Yourself Some Encouragement
You may be tempted to berate yourself for bad results. Please be kind to yourself, and look at the brighter side. Commend yourself for trying something new instead of berating yourself for messing up.
4 – Practice Giving Yourself Feedback
Excellent companies continue to grow because they take feedback from their customers and apply it. After making a poor decision, look at what happened and how you can change your decision-making process. The goal is to learn to make better decisions later.
5 – Take Emotions Out of the Process
Many decisions are made based on your emotions. Emotions can be tricky and encourage poor decisions. Look at what you already have and what you need, weigh the consequences, and don’t let your heart talk you out of a decision.
6 – Limit Your Options
Too many options will affect your ability to make a fast decision. Look at your options in a black and white format. If necessary, take a piece of paper, make two columns, and mark each choice as ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ Try to do this quickly. Use this approach if you are an over-analyzer.
7 – Give Yourself a Deadline
Not all decisions can be made in a split second. If the 30-second rule seems too fast, give yourself two minutes. For those that need to be processed longer, give yourself a deadline. It can be 24 hours or two weeks, but you need a deadline.
8 – Commit to the Choice
Once you make a decision, keep it. Teach yourself to follow through on your choice, even if you are afraid of the outcome. Most of the time, a ‘bad’ outcome is still better than doing nothing at all.
9 – Flip a Coin
For those choices that don’t have consequences, flip a coin. Where you have dinner tonight is a minor decision that lacks major consequences. There is no ‘wrong’ answer, so take off the pressure and flip a coin, roll a dice, or draw straws and go with the results.
FAST-ACTION STEPS
1 – Choose a plan to train yourself to make faster decisions. You can start with your weekend plans and allow yourself only a specific amount of time to decide what you will do.
2 – Write down reasons you cannot seem to make a decision. Is it fear of making the wrong choice? Once you determine what is holding you back, work on overcoming those reasons.
3 – Remember to not berate yourself if a choice goes differently than expected. Chalk it up as a lesson learned and move on.
- About the Author
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James Donaldson
Former Owner and Director of The Donaldson Clinic (an outpatient physical therapy clinic)
James completed a 20 year professional basketball career in the spring of 2000. James established The Donaldson Clinic in (January 1990 – 2018) (shortly after a career threatening knee injury) with an idea that he would eventually become a physical therapist. He is a strong advocate for Women & Minority owned businesses and is very involved with various Chambers of Commerce. He understands what it takes to sustain a strong business environment that is conducive to the success of businesses overall.
James is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the N.B.A. with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks and Utah Jazz. He also played for several in Spain, Italy and Greece of the European Leagues plus toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an N.B.A. All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac – 10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame.
He now devotes the majority of his time to various community activities, and toward the Gift of Life Foundation, speaking on mental health awareness and suicide prevention. James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, youth groups and is the author of the published “Standing Above the Crowd” of which you can learn more about at www.standingabovethecrowd.com and is available for sale now.
In 2021, James published Celebrating Your Gift of Life: From the Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy. www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com
James is a 40+ year resident of Seattle. He believes in being a role model of success and professionalism for the scores of young people that he devotes so much of his time to. He currently serves on several Boards and/or committees and is a member of many organizations. (Please see complete listing on back)
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win – Win” environment for everyone involved, and being the best he can be!
