Implement Your Decision Making Skills Outside of the Office

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Implement Your Decision Making Skills Outside of the Office

Monday, 11 July 2011 03:36 | PDF  | | Print | |  E-mail

Maybe you’re an expert decision maker at the office, but what about making decisions that have to do with your personal life? Do you find it as easy to make personal decisions as well?

If the answer is no, then the following are some benefits of becoming more decisive in your personal life as well and practical steps for making better decisions in less time.

The benefits you get from being more decisive:

1. Realize your goals and dreams. One of the most important benefits of making conscious decisions is that you can design a life model that represents your values and needs. Not taking action towards achieving a specific goal, may have you going from one decision to another having a blur idea about what you really want to do and finally lead you to a dead end.

2. Save your time and energy. Making decisions quickly leaves free time to be used to other activities that are very important for you, instead of wasting your time by going back and forth over the available options. It also decreases the levels of stress, confusion and frustration that you may feel about making a “wrong” decision.

3. Feel more confident. Being able to take decisions gives you control over your life and helps you feel more confident by developing your decision-making skills. This creates a positive feeling about yourself and your abilities and acts as a motivator for not being afraid of making choices and face the consequences.

4. A chance for expanding your knowledge. Every decision is an opportunity for you to discover more not only about yourself and your abilities, but also about the world and how it operates. The decisions you make reflect your personality. The fear of failure can be transformed into a chance for you to expand your knowledge and gain valuable feedback about areas where you would like to improve.

How to Improve Your Decision-Making Skills:

1. Stay motivated. Once you set your goal to become more decisive, you'll be able to recognize opportunities to be more pro-active in areas related to your daily life. In the beginning, you might feel intimidated by committing yourself to a goal, so remind yourself of the advantages of being the boss of your own life.

2. Do your research before taking action. Making “good” decisions requires the correct information. Do your research in order to collect all the necessary information that will increase the chances of you making a decision that will act at your advantage. If you feel you lack expertise, consult a person you believe has the knowledge and experience to help you.

3. Weigh the pros and cons. If the decision you want to make is a complex one, put it on paper. Write down all the advantages and disadvantages of the decision you’re about to make. It may sound silly to you have you can a list help you make an important decision that will affect your life and people related to it, but such list can help you create a good outline for what action you will take.

4. Make small initial steps. Start practicing your decision-making ability by making quick decisions on things you already feel confident about and they do not carry “high risk. For example, make a quick decision about what you’re going to wear today at work.

5. Overcome your fears. By exercising your skill to make decision you will also build confidence in your abilities. This will help you overcome your fears of failure and will help you make more significant decision day by day. Learn to trust your judgment and don’t be afraid of any consequences or criticisms that may come up. And remember; mistakes are part of our life but using them as tools for improvement can turn to be more beneficial than victories.

6. Give yourself a deadline. You may feel comfortable with deadlines in the office, but what about your private life? Learn to work with deadlines in your personal life as well, in order to motivate yourself to take action. If you want to buy a new car, it will be more helpful for you to know that you want to buy it in two years, because in this way you will be able to plan how much money you need to save each month to be able to pay for it in two years. Otherwise, a general idea of you wanting to buy a new car some time in the future will always stay an idea.

7. Listen to your heart. The decisions you make in your personal life are successful if they bring you more happiness and fulfillment. You may find more joy and fulfillment in being a professional yoga trainer than studying Economics. We are expected to think rationally, but we also want to feel good about the way we have decided to live our life.

Becoming more decisive will help you live your life better and happier. Work on your skill to make pro-active decisions and the outcome will definitely not let you down!