I’m having to make an unexpected decision at the moment. One that has been thrust upon me due to a change in circumstances.
Though it’s not ground-breaking, my decision is an important one. But not so important that a drum roll is needed. It’s……..
Which car am I going to have next?
You see, my previous four-wheeled box had a catastrophic MOT failure and has had to be scrapped. I’ve had an eventful couple of weeks on the motoring front!
Thankfully, once I stripped away all the emotion from the situation, the decision- making process was made much more straightforward. It all boiled down to budget and a decision that small is cool 😊
Kescia Gray, a board-certified Registered Nurse, author, and entrepreneur with 20+ years’ experience primarily in paediatric critical care, writes that when making good decisions there are only five steps that need to be considered.
These steps are:
1. Identify Your Goal. #
One of the most effective decision-making strategies is to keep an eye on your goal. This simply means identifying the purpose of your decision by asking yourself what exactly is the problem that needs to be solved? And why does this problem need to be solved?
2. Gather Information for Weighing Your Options. #
When making good decisions it is best to gather necessary information that is directly related to the problem. Doing this will help you to better understand what needs to be done in solving the problem, and will also help to generate ideas for a possible solution.
3. Consider the Consequences. #
This step will help you determine how your final decision will impact yourself, and/or others involved. In this step, you will be asking yourself what is likely to be the results of your decision. How will it affect you now? And how will it affect your future?
4. Make Your Decision. #
Now that you have identified your goal, gathered all necessary information, and weighed the consequences, it is time to make a choice and actually execute your final decision. Understanding that this step can cause some people a lot of anxiety is important because this is where you have to trust your instincts.
5. Evaluate Your Decision. #
Once you have made your final decision and put it into action, it is necessary to evaluate the decision and the steps you have taken to ensure that it works. This final step will help you to further develop your decision making skills for future problems. This step is also fundamental because it may require you to seek out new information and make some changes along the way.
These 5 steps became my reality once I had:
- Stripped away the emotion.
- Accepted that my circumstances had changed and; therefore, I had to make alternative arrangements.
- Visualised the outcome. In my case, the outcome will be that small is cool.
“Truly successful decision making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking.” – Malcolm Gladwell.
Thank you for reading.
