How to Make Great Decisions Quickly
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. Sure, jump over that candlestick.
We’re making decisions all the time. And not just big ones, there are several little decisions we make throughout the day — like, what time to wake up, what to wear, what to eat, what tasks to plan for the day, their priorities in your schedule — all of these are decisions. These are pretty simple, right? Low stakes questions that we ask ourselves before we take action.
The problem is, all these small (and big) decisions can start to pile up and we might find ourselves stressed out without being too sure about the why.
What if we could have a framework in place that would help us make decisions quickly — and what if those decisions were consistently the right ones to make?
Because while time is an incredibly valuable commodity, we also need to ensure that we’re working towards reducing our margins of error.
Making good decisions in less time with minimum to zero mistakes means more power and control over your life.
It also means that you will have the opportunity to gain the trust of others. It means you will have more time to focus on the things that actually matter.
Masterlife CEO, Growth Hacker, and Author Anirudh Narayan takes us through a framework of his own creation that has worked for him time and time again. This framework is simple, easy to adopt, and if followed consistently, can absolutely take your success rate (across all areas of your life) to the next level.
Over and above this framework, here’s a set of tips that will help you make great (and quick) decisions.
#1: DON’T THROW YOUR NET TOO WIDE
Considering all the responsibilities you have on your plate, it is important to keep your eye on the ball. Have a clear idea of what positively contributes to your goals and mission and always choose the option that aligns with them.
Spread your net of attention only as wide as you can physically and mentally manage. Beyond that, you will not do justice to the tasks at hand or you will find yourself expending energy and mind space on things that won’t matter in the long run.
#2: GET, SET, GO!
Try and set a timer (a real one or one in your mind) that will help you focus on the decision at hand. This keeps you safe from your mind wandering about, mulling over everything else.
When you put this pressure of time on yourself, you will make yourself assimilate all the data and get to the heart of the problem much quicker than if you’d have given yourself all the time in the world.
#3: DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
When you have a long list of items that need your attention, a lot of the smaller ones might drain your energy by the time you reach the bigger ones.
This is called decision fatigue and is a recipe for disaster.
Make sure you systematize the smaller, routine decisions and try to automate or delegate whichever ones you can. This way, when bigger decisions need to be made — you are 100% present and all set to tackle them.
#4: PATTERNS, PATTERNS EVERYWHERE
Many tasks and situations in our daily lives repeat themselves over and over again. We sometimes take them on with different approaches. After a while, we becomes safe to start assuming which approach was the best one of all.
At this point, we’re in a position to make decisions without really thinking about it — we’re following what is popularly referred to as “autopilot” mode. This mode is a lot less taxing on the CPU that is our brains.
Get better at pattern recognition by mapping your previous experiences and the outcomes. Over time, you will be better and quicker at making decisions.
Decide, implement, evaluate, reiterate.
You’ve got this.
#5: BUILD YOUR TRUST CIRCLE
Have a set of people whom you can call on to look at your decision from an objective yet experienced angle. They can check things with fresh eyes and maybe have inputs because they have been faced with similar conundrums before.
It’s always smart to have smarter people close. This way, you have a channel for learning that can also double as a great sounding board for your ideas.
#6: EMBRACE UNCERTAINTY
A lot of endeavours in this world win by speed. When you’re attempting something new, no mater how much research you put in — you will never be 100% aware of all the variables. This is what scientists call “bounded rationality” and all humans have it.
You can not know, what you do not know. So, at some point, you will have to put on your swimming goggles and take that leap into waters that are a little bit still unknown.
It’s okay if you don’t find that treasure chest of gold at the bottom. You tried. Your best, in fact.
As long as you did enough research to confirm that there were no sharks in that water body and carried with you the right equipment to go scavenging for the gold — that leap was the smartest decision you made.
Even if the end result wasn’t one that you wanted, you found out that this diving spot doesn’t work and can now look elsewhere. Better sooner than later, right?
I hope this list and the video above proved helpful. Write the main points down and place the note where you can see it every day.
Develop the mindset for smart, efficient, and quick decision making.
The benefits are numerous. And life will be so much easier.
Writer’s Note: The sub-header of this blog refers to the old children’s nursery rhyme: Jack be nimble, Jack be quick.
I find it interesting that he used his speed and agility to jump over a candlestick but all said and done, that was his decision to make and he did quite well in the end. Also, Jack is a fictional character so he can do pretty much whatever his creator wants him to do.
Us humans, we’re different. We can do so much more in the little time that we have here. Keep going.
Happy Learning, happy growing.
All the best.
For learning new skills, understanding yourself and your mind better, and absolutely crushing this journey of life, remember — Masterlife is literally just a click away.
Cheers!
