There are definitely bad decisions. A bad decision is one where you know the outcome is going to be awful but you do it anyway. Such as drinking a bathtub full of beer or buying “The Boss” for twenty dollars on itunes because you’re too impatient for it to be a three dollar rental. We know in advance we are making a bad choice but sometimes making bad choices feels good. Humans are weird like that.
And then there are banal decisions that are neither right or wrong. They simply take care of the mundane. Such has eating Fage with walnuts and honey for lunch. Or wearing your Ohio State sweatshirt for several months without washing it. These decision are easy because the mental overhead is very low and the end result is satisfying and comforting.
And then there are good decisions. And these are somehow always the toughest. Because with a good decision there’s really no downside. And often good decisions have a lot of options. And that makes it hard to decide and we begin putting pressure on ourselves.
So how do we make good decisions? One way I’ve found useful is to list all the pros and cons. I’m sure you’ve heard that a million times but it really does help to get out a pen and paper and write them all down. And do this repeatedly because sometimes what felt like a pro one day might be a con the next. This can help you visually see where the most positives and negatives exist but you may also start to see themes for what matters most to you about your big decision.
Then I try to step back and remove emotion from the decision because a lot of times good decisions are about career advancement or building your family or where to invest your money. They are long term decisions and sometimes we feel pressure to make the perfect one. Real talk: there is no perfect decision. They’re all a mixture of pros and cons (remember above). There are trade offs involved but stepping back can allow you to see more clearly and be objective.
Whether you’re making bad decisions (three quarter length jeans shorts anyone), banal decisions (butter or jam on this whole wheat, or both?), or good decisions (get my MBA?) trust yourself and cut yourself some slack. We make a billion decisions a day and not all of them need to have the weight of the world behind them.
