5 min read ⌚ 

How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work

It’s pretty standard to be on the verge of giving up, which causes a shift in focus from priority to secondary matters.

We give you a clue on how to overcome such inner treachery and improve your decision-making.

Who Should Read “Decisive”? And Why?

This book unlike most other concerns us all. “Decisive” is a valuable asset for most people who struggle to draw a conclusion and form an opinion about something.

We all have our period of sorrow, but should we stagnate? – Absolutely not! Get up, and do something that you will remember forever.

About Chip and Dan Heath

Chip and Dan Heath are brothers working at Duke and Stanford University.

They also wrote, “Switch and Made to Stick.”

“Decisive Summary”

Organizing your life depends on your ability to make split-second decisions. Although sometimes that seems too hard, it’s pivotal for enhancing your mind, body, and spirit. Such mindset will give you the edge to improve the psychology of decision-making, regardless of how silly the choice may seem at first sight.

Apparently, it’s not advisable to impose your iron will to someone else. Drawing a conclusion is more than taking your pick between two options. Occasionally, we are settling scores with other people, which reduces the ability to take under advisement other alternatives.

For instance, choosing your favorite ice cream can give a mini headache. A vast array of options is equally challenging as having little possibilities. Experts advise that will ultimately apply a bit of flexibility in your decision-making by understanding “opportunity cost.”

What does “opportunity cost” indicates? – It outlines your losses from the judgments you make.

Generally speaking, all the decisions a person makes throughout its life are based on personal experience and cultural, religious, national, and environmental background. Every once in a while, we fail to spot a better solution to our problems.

Don’t forget that every issue has its turns and high roads. So, there are plenty of alternatives for a person to implement and grasp, despite the external and internal influences.

This process is often referred as multitracking. As the name implies, it actually represents embracing several options, which are performed parallelly or simultaneously. This streamlines the decision-making process and adds to enhancing your skills for coming to right conclusions.

Once you commit yourself to become a real leader, you must enforce certain principles that will support your calls.

As we stated earlier, options overload can be a huge problem, even for experienced managers. Your ascent from nobody to somebody is undoubtedly a matter of time and quality of establishing your rules.  First and foremost, wrapping your head around some issues is not sufficient.

It’s best if you conduct a series of investigations, which show how other individuals handle similar situations. Once you are equipped with knowledge, nothing can hinder your progress. For example, you have a problem to increase sales, but you lack the inspiration to devise a plan that will provide a financial boom.

Just take a quick look at your competitors, analyze their strategies, and ultimately your business will find a way to reach its goals.

As much as we want to believe in the uniqueness of our situation, we often fall into the mediocre category. We must agree that we nurture similar interests, leading to almost identical circumstances.

Just outside your courtyard, you’ll find a person with a matching dispute point, and by observing their behavior, you’ll see why are we like two peas in a pod. Take, for example, the extraordinary Thai Cook – Jack.

He was starting his restaurant business in a traffic area at a seemingly perfect location on 4th Street with plenty of other Thai restaurants nearby. Jack faced a challenge, whether to proceed or to conduct new analyzes since his views were partially biased.

The outside reality implied something profoundly different. Even with the support of the people, he couldn’t invest all his money into something without assessing the situation. What are we trying to convey? – Almost 60% of all restaurants face downfall in the first three years.

Don’t take this as some discouragement, but as an essential piece of information that should be at least considered. It’s equally important to leave your emotions aside, and never to make decision resting on beliefs, and superstition.  

Another example – Companies nowadays are fed up with making the wrong calls when hiring staff. So, it’s highly popular to give the potential member a several months trial, to evaluate its impact performance and the value it creates.

A simple solution is to list all the essential milestones and assess their impact, as separate entities and overall. Ask yourself – What is most important to me? – My family, my peace, or work, the answer you provide will serve a higher purpose.

Key Lessons from “Decisive”

1.      Don’t sell yourself into slavery
2.      What is your dream job?
3.      Double check everything

Don’t sell yourself into slavery

Sometimes we make the wrong decisions not because of emotions or lack of know-how, but by unlisted priorities that are destroying our lives.

These sensations must not become overwhelming, and you must free yourself from the bondage you imposed on yourself.

What is your dream job?

Individuals that are on the fence, it’s best to use proven methods, before embarking on a full-scale adventure.

For instance, if you are unsure which profession to choose, taking an internship is one highly effective idea for reducing the chances of error.

Double check everything

Your aspirations are merely an illustration of the expertise you possess.

However, even in such circumstances, you cannot be 100% confident in your choice, so there’s no harm in a quick check. In general, people prefer testing and reject guessing.

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“Decisive” Quotes

Our Critical Review

Despite some small dose of repetitiveness, “Decisive” will certainly be one of your highlights.

In all honesty, this book deserves a place on your bookshelf.

Emir Zecovic

Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.