Making Good Decisions

It is said that our life is wrap up in decision making,yet we find it hard to bring out good decisions.The following are helpful tips from Mr.James Maxwell for good decision making.

Steps for Successful Decision-Making:

1. Prioritize manifold decisions facing you.
2. Give oneself a time to brainstorm and make a list of each decision one presently face.
3. When one have identified a list of decisions,take the following steps to separate major or big decisions from the minor ones :

3.1. Compare the Payoff - that is,which of the decisions which you list on your list of decisions will produce the highest payoff.Evaluate each of the decisions in your list in terms of your investment in time,resources,and energy.And rate them which is most important,somewhat important and least important.

3.2. Consider Your Goals - that is,which decision are essential to your goals.

3.3. Delegate - that is,in accordance to the rates of importance you have rated your list of decisions and also in alignment with your goal.

4. Avoid Pitfalls of decision-making.

4.1. Procrastination

4.1.1. Absence of urgency : "We will cross that bridge when we come to it"

4.1.2. Uncertainty : "It could go either way.Since i am not sure.I will reflect on it for a while."

4.1.3. Emotional difficulty : "It is lose-lose proposition and someone will be hurt regardless of their decision.Why not postpone the damage as long as possible?"

Take Note : " Although you may successfully con yourself into believing that "it can wait",a cloud of worry will drift over you until you take the initiative to remove it"

4.2. Don't easily surrender.Learn to handle decisions "bit by bit"."If you mentally crumble and degenerate into negative thinking,you will magnify the problem to the point where it can haunt you."

5. "Be willing to forge ahead when the results of the decision will be positive - even if they won't be perfect."

6. Search for new information or insight which may affect your decision and probe your basis.

7. Direct understanding of one's decision.

8. Conceptualize. "Before deciding,picture the expected outcomes of your decision and menatally track the ramification of your chosen course or action.

9. Search for examples.Find someone who have faced a similar decisions and evaluate someone's experiences to better prepare yourself for your own decision.

10. Do a test-run or trial and error method.

11. Ask a feedback.Ask a right person with a right question at the right time.

12. And most of all,practice daily self-discipline.Discipline is usually painful but you must not forget that there are two kinds of pain : the pain of self-discipline and the pain of regret.

"We avoid the pain of self-discipline because we confront it everyday.Meanwhile,the pain of regret goes unnoticed for days,months,and years,but when it comes,it marks us with the profoundest disappointments"

from: Making good decision better by James Maxwell.