Why do some people have a specific skill set? Who do some people take to mathematics like fish to water while others struggle and suffer? Research shows that to build and master any skill, it is essential to hone that skill over time. Decision-making is no exception. The more choices you tackle, the better you get at it.
You can actually learn how to make better decisions simply by practising with enough decisions. Start with the simple ones and move on to the trickier decisions. With some time and practice, you will surely find a brand new decision maker in you.
Tips to make better decisions
Here are some interesting exercises to help you make better decisions, and the rationale behind using this approach.
Be Artsy: We are primarily either left-brain or right-brain driven. The right brain hemisphere drives creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, and there is nothing quite like an art form to stimulate it. Participating in the arts helps you see options where none existed before. Struggling with a team structure issue? Draw it out, play around with it visually, give colours to roles and tasks, and you may see the solution emerge.
Learn A Language: Like art is right, language is left – a logical construct learned best by the left brain hemisphere. For those of us with active right brains, stimulating the left through language helps make more logical deductions.
Spend Time With People: This is one for the introverts in the house. There is a reason to believe that interacting with people and being in a social setting helps the brain form new connections as it tries to process the dynamics of a group. A mind with more connections is a brain that takes better decisions.
Work Out: There is nothing as freeing as burning a few calories. Many runners and participants of endurance sports know the feeling of focusing intensely on just one thing at a time. This level of sharp focus comes in handy when you need to make decisions under pressure.
Experiment: Take an alternate route to work. Drive down a different path. Eat new kinds of food. Listen to a genre of music you don’t often listen to. Immersing the brain in activities it doesn’t recognize is a great way to fight decision fatigue and get back on track.
Read: Books are the ocean of knowledge that most of us have access to. They are the next best alternative to travel. Both these activities help us process new experiences and learn new ideas, which come in very handy when trying to make a decision. After all, knowledge is power.
Write: Our mind is often cluttered with many thoughts. The best way to get them all out is to put them on paper. Known as the stream of consciousness writing, this process helps clear the mind and if done each morning, helps you begin with a clean slate quite literally.
What do you do when you have a tough decision to make? Do you have a recurring habit? Tell us what works for you.