How to Make your Own Decisions in Life

We make decisions all day. From what to eat to what to wear to how to invest. All decisions, big and small, are important in their own different ways. However, not all of us are good at making decisions. Some people will circle around a small decision such as what to order for lunch and may even end up going hungry because they could not decide.

If you’re tired of feeling like you cant make a decision and that all life decisions are being made for you, I got you. You can learn how to make your own decisions in life and take charge of your life.

How to make your own decisions in life

Develop good habits and routines

Dr. Sheldon Cooper of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory has a weekly meal plan simply because he doesn’t want to have to decide what to eat every day. While this can be on the extreme side, developing habits and routines can save you from the smaller decisions so you can focus your mind on the bigger decisions.

Mark Zuckerberg wears a grey t-shirt every day so he doesn’t have to decide what to wear every morning. Make meal plans to save you from making food-related decisions.

Routines and habits will help you go through some daily chores and processes without giving them much thought since no decision making is needed.

Get rid of distractions

If you are trying to make an important decision, get rid of distraction. Making an important decision as the TV blares in front of you affects your consideration such that you don’t give your decision much thought.

Identify distractions and remove them so you can have full focus. If you have to, write down a list of pros and cons to help you decide. Evaluate alternatives and come up with the best solution for your situation.

To learn how to get rid of distractions and make great decisions, consider reading Deep Work by Cal Newport.

Don’t expect to be perfect

People who struggle with decision making often ask, “what if I make the wrong one”? This fear can lead to delay or avoidance in decision making since you are afraid of being wrong.

So, what if you pick the wrong one? The grown up thing to do about this is to take responsibility for your choices. The fact that you are struggling with a decision shows that there is no obvious solution.

So each choice has a pro and a con. If you pick the wrong one, admit that you are not perfect and start coming up with ways to deal with your decision. Take responsibility and use this as a learning opportunity. Don’t aim for perfectionism otherwise, you will never get anything done.

Have some faith in yourself

Lack of confidence in yourself can hinder your decision making abilities. If you believe that you don’t always make the right decisions, chances are that you will hold off decision making for the longest time for the fear of making yet another bad decision.

If you are used to letting others make decisions for you, taking up this responsibility can be difficult. All the same, eventually you will have to make decisions at some point.

Trust your abilities, have some faith in yourself and go one and make that decision.

Have a clear picture of the desired end

When you don’t know what you want, you will struggle to make a decision. Without a clear picture of the desired end, your decision making has no direction, you might as well be throwing a shot in the dark.

Have clear objectives of what you want. If you need to make a career decision, list down what you want out of it then make the choice that will put you closer to this goal. If you are making a decision on whether to stay in a relationship or leave, list the things that you want in a relationship then make the choice that brings you closer to this.