4 Ways of Making the Best Decision When You're Confused

• Helene Lerner


• 24 Oct 2013

You’re stuck between two options and, even though you’ve weighed all the positives and negatives many times, you feel incapable of making a decision. We’ve all been there. Here are a few useful tips to help you make a choice and move forward:

Ditch the pro-con list. When we don’t trust our ability to make a smart decision, we often over-analyze. Pro-con lists can sometimes be useful, but if they’re not helping, listen to your intuition instead – it’s usually right. And if it’s not, you’ll have an opportunity to grow from your misstep.

Don’t look for the “best” option. Maybe you’re deciding between staying at your current job and looking for something new – and you can’t figure out which would be more fulfilling. It’s easy to agonize over making the “perfect” choice. But one choice isn’t objectively better than the other – it’s just different. Take an action.

Commit. It may seem like you have more freedom before you’ve made a choice than you do once you’re committed to one. But actually, the limbo of indecision is more paralyzing than sticking with any decision you might make.

Set the clock. If you don’t give yourself a deadline, your indecision can go on indefinitely. The ticking clock will help you cut through the confusion, make a decision and move on.

-Sarah Cooke