16 Top Practicing Habits of Making the Right Decision

The pursuit of making the right decisions is an art many seek to master, for these choices give meaning and worth to life, bringing forth a profound sense of happiness. In this article, we delve into the interplay between making the right decisions and the imperative of taking the right action now.

The Rise of “Hangry” and its Impacts on Decision-Making

Back in January 2018, the term “hangry” found its place in the esteemed Oxford English Dictionary, defining it as a state of being “bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger.” A concept we’re all too familiar with, recent research indicates that hunger-induced irritability can lead to riskier and more impulsive decision-making.

For entrepreneurs, sound decision-making stands as a pivotal skill. Each day presents a tidal wave of choices, from vital hiring decisions to refining product features and crafting intricate marketing plans. As the founder and CEO of JotForm, I am well-acquainted with the challenges of decision-making. The ever-evolving technological landscape and dynamic markets demand comprehensive consideration of copious data with every choice made.

Amidst this tumultuous decision-making landscape, there exists a bright side. Mastering the art of intelligent decision-making can foster productivity, and stress management, and thwart the looming specter of burnout, all while nurturing greater satisfaction in both business and personal life.

The Struggle to Choose: Unraveling the Phenomenon of Decision Fatigue

The concept of “decision fatigue” looms large, an inevitable consequence of depleting our finite reserves of self-control. As the day unfolds, and choices multiply, decision-making becomes increasingly laborious. Eventually, our brain seeks refuge in one of two shortcuts: impulsive action or complete avoidance of decisions.

Author John Tierney elucidates this phenomenon aptly in The New York Times, “Decision fatigue helps explain why ordinarily sensible people get angry at colleagues and families, splurge on clothes, buy junk food at the supermarket and can’t resist the dealer’s offer to rustproof their new car… you can’t make decision after decision without paying a biological price.”

One remedy is reducing the sheer volume of decisions we confront daily. Consequently, many entrepreneurs adopt routines encompassing repeated clothing choices, standardized meals, and predictable morning rituals.

The Art of Decision-Making: Sixteen Techniques to Propel You Forward

In the face of overwhelming decisions, it is essential to embrace practical techniques that harmonize with our biological nature. Over the course of my 14-year journey as a founder and entrepreneur, I have discovered that aligning with my brain rather than resisting it empowers me to make better choices. Here, I share seven techniques that can empower you to make smarter, more effective decisions.

1. Embrace Small, Decisive Steps

Mimicking the concept of the minimal viable product (MVP), prioritize minimal viable decisions. Ask yourself, “What’s the smallest possible decision I could make right now?” Taking such incremental steps, as you would in an MVP, allows you to test and adjust the course as needed.

2. Seek Trusted Advice

Often, entrepreneurs share significant decisions with trusted confidants for fresh perspectives. Reacting to others’ responses may provide insight into your subconscious instincts. However, be cautious not to let respected individuals sway you into choices that feel incongruent.

3. Settle for “Good Enough”

Psychologist Barry Schwartz introduced the “paradox of choice” in his 2005 book, “The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less.” It delves into how an excess of choices can breed discontent and unhappiness. Embracing the notion of “good enough,” as Olga Khazan explores in The Atlantic, can free us from the clutches of this paradox. “Satisficers,” those content with “good enough,” tend to be happier than “maximizers” perpetually seeking the very best.

When it comes to running a business, apply your finest judgment and personal values to essential decisions, and then settle for “good enough” in less crucial matters.

4. Weigh Your Options

Binary thinking, perceiving choices as either/or scenarios, oversimplifies complex business decisions. Often, options don’t carry equal weight. In evaluating tough choices, ensure each option holds comparable value and potential. One choice may possess greater potential, even if accompanied by risks.

5. Act Swiftly

In a letter to shareholders, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos shared valuable wisdom, suggesting that most decisions should be made with around 70 percent of the desired information. Waiting for 90 percent often results in unnecessary delays. Strike a balance between gathering the necessary data and acting decisively.

6. Visualize Worst-Case Scenarios

Drawing inspiration from ancient Stoics, visualize potential problems before they materialize, enabling you to preemptively address challenges and make robust decisions. Picture, for instance, a product release delay and devise preventive measures or consider if proceeding as planned is the best course of action.

7 Document Your Thoughts

The venerable pros-and-cons list, a tool for gaining clarity, remains a classic for a reason. In Harvard Business Review, Chris Charyk praises the lists for promoting rigorous thinking, reducing the likelihood of neglecting critical factors and providing emotional detachment from the decision at hand. Beware of cognitive biases, common mental errors such as anchoring, loss aversion, and confirmation bias, which can sway rationality.

8. Be action-oriented

Ideas, visions, and dreams, without transformation into action, remain mere specters of possibility. It is the decisive, purposeful action that propels our voices to resound, manifesting our goals and life’s purpose with resolute clarity.

9. From Visionary to Achiever

In the realm of achieving your aspirations, inactivity serves as a stifling force, rendering your vision impotent. Merely discussing your goals will not summon their materialization; the dreams that dance within your mind must be translated into reality through unwavering and intentional action.

In the tapestry of life, change is an ever-present thread, weaving through the days, weeks, months, and years that mold our experiences. Time, relentless in its progression, waits for no one. This inexorable truth underscores the urgency to transcend the role of a dreamer and, instead, embrace the mantle of an achiever by taking decisive action.

10. Embrace Proactive Engagement

Every individual shares a common endowment – 8760 hours in a year, 168 hours in a week, and 24 hours in a day. The pressing question that beckons for introspection is how one chooses to expend this invaluable resource – time.

Do you allocate your time to ventures incongruent with your vision, or do you seize each moment to propel yourself toward the realization of your dreams? Forsaking the past and its lingering tales, embark on the journey of action and progress.

11. Bridge Knowledge and Action

Knowledge, bereft of application, lingers in the realm of inconsequence. True wisdom lies in the appropriate application of relevant knowledge, and this rings particularly true in the pursuit of our life goals.

Many are privy to the secrets of success, yet the chasm between knowledge and action often proves insurmountable for some. The world shall not herald your name for the wealth of information you possess, but rather for the tangible, transformative action you undertake.

12. Avoid the Cost of Inaction

Within the boundaries of one’s mind, brimming with ideas and untapped potential, an internal war rages between inaction and action. The bittersweet reality is that while some acquaintances flourish in their endeavors, even tackling pursuits you’ve been taught to undertake, you find yourself entrenched in the quagmire of inaction.

Pangs of regret and self-reproach ensue, a poignant reminder that action forgone is an opportunity lost. The key distinction between the achiever and the bystander lies in the courageous leap taken into the world of action.

13. Make Strategic Action for Triumph

The garden of success blooms through the strategic planting of seeds nurtured through unwavering dedication. Here, we unveil practical strategies that, when diligently employed, engender a flourishing harvest of achievements.

14. Align Your Path with Purpose

The path to action starts with the alignment of your goals with the vision you hold dear. When your pursuits resonate with your ultimate vision, boredom, and weariness become an alien concept, replaced by the vigor born from within.

15. Overcome Inertia

The inception of action is often shrouded in the veil of trepidation. Waiting for the perfect resources before taking the first step proves a fallacy; the opportune time is now. Summon your courage, for the first step, is the impetus propelling you toward a cascade of triumphs.

16. Start Small and Consistent Actions

In the voyage towards greatness, a revelation awaits – the power of small, consistent actions. You need not embark on grand endeavors from the outset; rather, commence with modest steps that evolve into an awe-inspiring journey. Your path to success unfurls one step at a time, where growth sprouts from commitment and unwavering consistency.

Final thought

By integrating these techniques into your decision-making process, you unleash a symphony of empowered choices, creating a transformative impact on your entrepreneurial journey. Embrace the art of decision-making, for the world awaits your manifestations, and your triumphs shall inspire others along their own remarkable paths.

Envision yourself embracing these practical strategies, transforming your dreams into tangible reality. Awaken from the slumber of inaction and witness the world acknowledge the masterpieces borne of your transformative actions. Awaiting the world’s witness is your extraordinary manifestation, inspiring and empowering others to embark on their own paths of triumphant action.