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14d (edited) • Motivation/thoughts/quotes💡
Choose Wisely. Your Future Self Is Watching. Some more strategies
I wrote about clarity in decisions in the post here:decisions-because-you-cant-keep-dating-every-option
There are some strategies there, but below are a few more with some elaboration:) Enjoy!
(The initial options for decision making were these, in case you don't go to that other post...but I hope you do go!
• Know your values: Decisions get easier when they reflect who you want to be
• Check your nervous system: Regulate first. A calm mind makes smarter choices
• Name the tradeoffs: Every yes requires a no. Clarity comes from acknowledging the cost
• Commit: Once you choose, stop reopening the question. This builds confidence and mental strength )
The elaboration:
1. Set your criteria before you choose
-Indecision often comes from not knowing what “good” looks like. Decide your criteria before you evaluate options. This keeps emotions from hijacking the process and reduces cognitive load.
2. Time box your choices
-Give yourself a specific window to decide. The brain performs better with constraints because it reduces analysis paralysis. Short deadlines force clarity. Sometimes I struggle with this because a self imposed timeline feels arbitrary because i can always change it (but then I guess I'm not showing integrity with myself and I guess that's not good..)
3. Run the “future identity” test
Ask: Does this choice serve the person I am becoming? Not the person you are today but the version you’re working toward. This uses the psychological principle of “self continuity” to pull you toward long term goals.
4. Evaluate the opportunity cost honestly
Every yes has a silent no built into it. Name the no. This keeps your decisions aligned with your values instead of default habits! Name the NO. Find ways to create friction so that choosing the no is harder. Find ways to decrase friction so that the yes is easier.
5. Get out of your head and into data
Feelings can inform decisions but they should not steer the car alone. Feelings aren't facts and facts don't care about feelings. BUT, feelings are important as they have information! Write things down. Externalizing reduces emotional distortion and activates the brain’s analytical systems.
6. Ask the “10-10-10” question
How will this decision feel in 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years? It stretches your time horizon and reduces impulsivity. i honestly struggle with this because I have SUCH a hard time visualizing myself in the future...my frame of reference is the now.
7. Reduce your decision fatigue
Simplify what you can. High performers automate non essential choices so they have cognitive bandwidth for the important ones. The fewer trivial decisions you make each day, the sharper the major ones become.
8. If it’s a big decision, change your state first
Do not make major decisions when tired, hungry or in a stress response. Movement, hydration and even two minutes of controlled breathing can rebalance the prefrontal cortex. Better state equals better judgment. (There's a principle called"Ego depletion" which is the experience of feeling mentally drained after a day full of choices, emotional effort, or self-control...take this into account! may write about this later)
9. Avoid “hope based” decisions
If you catch yourself thinking “maybe it will magically get better,” you already have your answer. Good decisions are anchored in reality, not hopeful delusion.
10. Make the decision, then build the discipline
Choosing is only half the battle. The follow through is where clarity becomes identity. Once you choose, act like the choice is already who you are.
Question to ponder: Who do you want to be and what's a decision that you're going to make to align yourself with that picture?
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Choose Wisely. Your Future Self Is Watching. Some more strategies
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