Every day we make decisions. Dozens of decisions. We have to decide what we want for dinner, what to wear, whether to enroll our kids in a sport.. choices at work, choices with our business. Every time you turn around, there’s another decision to be made. It’s enough to stress anyone out.
When the choices and decisions get to be too much, what do we do? Most of us procrastinate. Instead of making a choice, we set it aside, waiting. We let it fester. The string of things that need deciding don’t go away – in fact, they pile up rather quickly. Soon, instead of having to make one decision, we have to make five. Or ten. Or fifty. You get the picture.
Not only does this keep you from getting anything accomplished, you become anxious about the things piling up. You don’t want to think about it, but it’s all you can think about. That’s no way to go through life – being afraid to handle your day to day issues. There is a very simple solution though.
When faced with a choice, make a decision immediately.
Using the information you have available right now, make a choice. Decide how to solve the problem right now. Guess what? That problem is handled, it’s done, it’s gone. It’s handled, and it’s no longer contributing to your stress levels.
But what if I make the wrong choice?
Making decisions quickly will give you less than perfect results sometimes. You won’t always make the perfect choice – but you need to understand this: That’s OK. Sometimes, good enough is good enough. The fact that you made a decision immediately is far better than letting it sit, and become a festering sore.
Stressing over what to eat for dinner tonight? Just pick something. Eat baked chicken with mashed potatoes. Unsure what to wear for your date this weekend? Go with jeans and that blue polo shirt you like. Should you hire help for your small business? Yes. Do you get it yet? Just make a decision. No matter what you decide, no matter what the outcome, it’s better than not deciding.