How Successful People Make Smart Decisions

Your days are filled with a constant stream of
decisions. A study from Columbia University
found that we’re bogged down by a good 70
decisions a day.
Some decisions are minor, like what to eat,
which route to drive to work, or in what order
to tackle tasks. Others are more difficult, like
deciding between two job offers, whether to
move to a new city for someone you love, or
whether to cut a toxic person out of your life.
With so many decisions taking up each day,
learning to prioritize them and make them
effectively is essential to your success and
happiness.
While I’m familiar with many strategies
successful people use for effective decision-
making, what follows are the cream of the crop.
They Turn Small Decisions Into Routines …
Decision-making works like a muscle: as you use
it over the course of the day, it gets too
exhausted to function effectively. One of the best
strategies successful people use to work around
their decision fatigue is to eliminate smaller
decisions by turning them into routines. Doing
so frees up mental resources for more complex
decisions.
Steve Jobs famously wore a black turtleneck to
work every day. Mark Zuckerberg still dons a
hoodie. Both men have stated that these iconic
images are the simple result of daily routines
intended to cut down on decision fatigue. They
were both aware of our finite daily ability to
make good decisions, as is Barack Obama , who
said, “You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits.
I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want
to make decisions about what I’m eating or
wearing, because I have too many other
decisions to make.”
… And Make Big Decisions In The Morning
Another great way to beat decision fatigue is to
save small decisions for after work (when
decision fatigue is greatest) and to tackle
complex decisions in the morning, when your
mind is fresh. When you’re facing a stream of
important decisions, a great trick is to wake up
early and work on your most complicated tasks
before you get hit with a bunch of distracting
minor decisions (phones ringing, e-mails coming
in). A similar strategy is to do some of the
smaller things the night before to get a head
start on the next day. For instance, lay out your
outfit at night so you don’t even have to think
about it when you wake up.
They Pay Attention To Their Emotions
There’s an old saying: “Don’t make permanent
decisions based on temporary emotions,” and it
definitely rings true. Successful people recognize
and understand their emotions (including their
intensity and impact on behavior) so that they
are able to look at decisions as objectively and
rationally as possible.
Unfortunately, most people aren’t good at
managing or even recognizing their emotions.
TalentSmart has tested more than a million
people and found that only 36% of us are able to
accurately identify our emotions as they
happen. Strong decision makers, on the other
hand, know that a bad mood can make them
lash out or stray from their moral compass just
as easily as a good mood can make them
overconfident and impulsive.
They Evaluate Their Options Objectively
When really wrapped up in a decision,
successful people weigh their options against a
pre-determined set of criteria because they know
that this makes decision-making easier and
more effective. Here are some helpful criteria to
consider: How does this decision benefit me?
How does it hurt me? How does this benefit _?
How does it hurt _? Does the decision reflect
my values? Would I regret making this decision?
Would I regret not making this decision? Does
this decision reflect my values?