I have a huge confession to make – there are some occasions when I am so indecisive that I almost get nothing done! Decision paralysis!
“No way!” I hear you say. “That cannot be true. Ingrid – not YOU!!”
Admittedly it happens to me very rarely – thank goodness! I’m a great one for taking whatever issue I am facing and listing the pros and cons of both sides. However sometimes …. I feel stuck, not quite paralysed – just not able to decide what to do!
Does this ever happen to you ?
Why is it SO difficult to make a decision?
I sat at my local cafe the other morning and the couple near us – one of those awful shared tables so you get to hear what the people next to you are saying. They discussed pretty much every item on the menu … “I’ll just have coffee. It’s too difficult to decide” she said to him.
People!! It’s breakfast!!
So what is it that makes deciding so difficult?
Well, it just might be “Fear Of Better Options”
You may have heard of FOMO – Fear of Missing Out. FOBO – Fear of Better Options is closely related to FOMO.
One of the reasons we find it extremely difficult to make a decision is because of the endless options we have – and the options increase every day.
We are bombarded with choices and why decide on some thing today when tomorrow there might be some thing even better to choose…?
Here is what I do when I feel myself in that limbo and dithering about making a decision. I put my coaching hat on and say to myself:
“What is it costing you to not make this decision?”
“It’s time to make the decision, Ingrid! Make a choice. Then make a list of actions and start taking action in the direction of the decision…”
And then I remind myself that:
“It matters not if it is the wrong decision because remember – right now not making a decision is actually your decision”
As I said it doesn’t happen very often to me. One of the reasons it doesn’t happen often is because I have great people around me: my Business Coach, my Mastermind Group and you, my clients and readers who hold me accountable.
What decisions are you struggling with right now ? Maybe some are huge, life altering decisions. Some are smaller – and can be equally debilitating. Is it a case of Fear of Better Options …. ?!
“What is it costing you right now to not make that decision?”
Here’s what I suggest:
Grab some paper. Write down the issue, the matter in question at the top of the page.
Set the timer for 2 minutes.
Make a list of all the options you can think of. Stop writing when the timer goes off. Some times just writing the options helps make it obvious which one to choose – and which ones definitely not to choose!
Set the timer for another 2 minutes and focus on pros and cons for each option.
And then that’s it. No more thinking about it. Just make a decision. Pick one of the viable options! Create the actions and start taking action.
The big question to keep asking ask yourself is: “What is it costing me to not make this decision?”
Truly, if you are stuck with making decisions in your business, in your life – ask for help. This is what I do. I help people figure out how to make good business decisions and then take action.
It’s all about making that decision and taking action!
Making progress will give you a strong feeling of well-being – more on this topic in the next blog.
Click here and let me know what happens when you try the 2 minute activity!