How to make better decisions

Want to know a secret? I have a friend called John. And John has a problem. He keeps making decisions but does not get commitment, finds himself repeating mistakes or sometimes he feels confused and takes no decision. He asks for advice but feels insecure if the advice is right for him. He wants his  decisions to be right. That’s leads sometimes to procrastination and John’s business is suffering. He’s losing sleep over it. Checking the internet for a gazillion solutions is crushing him. And his business.

What could he be doing better? He could be using Decision Analysis. But what is that?

Decision Analysis guides you through decision making process. Want to save time and get back on track? Do it with these 5 simple steps:

Step 1: Analyze the Base of the Decision

John wants a Blog. But he is not good in writing.  Poor John. He decided to hire a copywriter but than he thought maybe I should outsource the blog or get weekly guest writers, or record the blog and get scripted… many options. What is the best?  Sound strange? Too often we’re unclear on our motivations and have no awareness of the context .Just like John.

Here’s the first step. Understand why you’re making the decision. What is your objective? Keep it at the front of your mind. That’s the first step in decision analysis. Simple but crucial.

John wanted to get his voice out there in a rush. That was the whole reason for the decision. But the writer he hired couldn’t capture it. Doing step 1+2+3 could have saved him! This is why it’s so important.

So don’t start with  step 3. Take your time and go back to 1 and 2 . Complete steps 1 and 2. The big picture matters.

Step 2: Define Criteria

Taking any decision means ticking boxes. John needed to hire a copywriter. So he should have known what he wanted.

Want to make a big decision properly? Pick up your pen right now. Grab your notepad. I want you to list everything you want from your decision.

Hiring a copywriter like John? What qualities should they have? Can you only pay up to $20 per hour? Write that down. Need a fluent English speaker? Write that down. Write everything you want in this person down.

Some boxes are more important than others. So rank them! Assign a 0-10 score to each for importance. This keeps your priorities straight.

This way you’ll see how each candidate stacks up. When the time comes deciding will be easy. A simple matter of ticking boxes. Satisfying!

A quick summary. So far we have:

• Made a list of the criteria.
• Decided which are vital and which are optional.
• Prioritized them. 

Step 3: Develop Alternatives

The real value of decision analysis is simple; it gives you the power to make great balanced choices. But how can you do that if you keep doing them unconsciously? Jumping to alternative A  is when you leap to a decision. You skip over considering all your other choices. That’s sometimes an easy way to go wrong.

John hired the wrong copywriter, and it was a huge headache for him. Avoid this by thinking about what else you could do. That’s true freedom. It’s the essence of decision making; choosing between alternatives.

If you just pick any  alternative you haven’t really made a decision. You’ve taken a leap into the dark.

John should have thought about this. Could he have outsourced his blog to an agency? Could he have co-written with somebody? Could he have done the writing himself? Decision analysis is valuable. Why? Because through it you consider valuable alternatives. Don’t skip this.

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Step 4: Evaluate Alternatives

John wasted the opportunity to hire. Now he’s exhausted and poorer. How could he have avoided this? With step 4 of Decision Analysis; evaluating alternatives.

If you want to make great decisions, do this. Have all your choices written down and consider the following:

“How well do each of these match my overall objective?”

“How does each choice stack up against my list from step 2?”

Do step 4. If you don’t, steps 1-3 were pointless. Why? Because the purpose of setting up alternatives is to evaluate them. You develop criteria to help you do that. And you analyze the base of a decision so the criteria are sensible. So, check your alternatives against your criteria.

But we’re not quite at step 5. Not yet. First, we need to think about risks.

What if we take choice A. What could go wrong? You need to think of these issues, too. Even if you criteria are all met, risks count. Make another list.

Consider all the risks you can think of. How likely are they? What would the consequences be? No need for numbers. Stick with high-medium-low. If you have high risks of high probability, avoid. If the main risks seem less serious, consider.

So far, so straightforward.

Step 5: Make the Decision

You’re ready to make a decision. You’ve got your list of criteria in front of you. You know which are the ‘must haves’. And you know which are just ‘nice to have’.

And you know the risks.

This is where is all comes together. This is the most important step. Complete your work and get that decision made.

You’ve checked your alternatives. So you know taking this decision is right. For John, it might be too late. But not for you!

Ready to get started but want more detail? We’re offering a free Decision Analysis checklist. Drop your email below to claim yours. Taking action immediately prevents procrastination. Grab your checklist now and start making fantastic decisions! Leave your email below.