Making better decisions : Psychology can help

Making Psychology Part of Your Life

We are starting this new series which shall help you in improving your life using psychology. It is indeed the need of the hour to make psychology part of our lives.

In this section, we will bring articles, papers and other interesting features focusing on enhancing life skills and better living. To start with, we are publishing an interesting feature on Making Better Decisions. In the coming days, we shall be bringing features of following issues and more-

	Meditation
	Yoga
	Memory Enhancement Techniques
	Effective Reading
	Being a Successful Parent
	Reducing Anxiety
	Techniques for Getting Motivated
	Managing Stress
	Basic Steps for Preventing Suicide
	Choosing a Therapist

Feature of the Month

Making Better Decisions

Since decisions often have important consequences, error in judgment may prove quite costly. Given the vast complexity of the world and the diversity options we often face, it is unlikely that anyone can provide you with a perfect system for making correct decisions. nevertheless, here are some guidelines for increasing the chances that many of our decisions will be good ones - or at least free form sources of error and bias as possible.

Don't trust you own memory, or beware of availability
Don't take situations at face value, or questions all anchors
Remain flexible, or don't fall in love with your own decisions
Consider all options, or is half an orange is always better than none?

Here are eight steps that will help you eliminate difficulties and help you make better decisions.

1. List all of your options on paper. Judgment should play no role at this point. You simply make a list of all your options, no matter how ridiculous they may look. You need to let your subconscious mind freely come up with ideas, no matter how disconnected they may seem.

2. Think about your choices. This means sorting out your feelings about all your choices. If you find it hard to feel anything about some of them, then they’re probably not worth your attention. Remember, this is not a logical analysis. You’re simply letting your thoughts come as they will, much in they way you thought about your options.

3. Observe your feelings. You’ll be comfortable with some options and uncomfortable with others. Some seem good and some seem wrong. You’re now applying judgment to them. It’s important that you don’t rush to a conclusion. That will only result in an impulsive decision, which is often a bad one. Be patient and take you own feelings seriously.

4. Relate your choices to your priorities. Create a list of priorities for each question that requires a decision. Write down the list, then put your options against it. If you have well-established priorities, this will be easy. If you don’t, take extra time with this step.

5. Designate your choice. Most of the time your choice will sneak up on you before you even realize you’ve made a decision. Things should begin to fall together for you at this point. You should feel good about yourself and what you want. This strengthens your confidence in yourself, and strengthens your identity.

6. Register your decision. Let it become part of you. Discard the other options, let them drift away. At this point you’re putting it all together in preparation for action. Do not backtrack. Keep moving forward towards your final decision.

7. Commit to your decision. Don’t drag your feet, look back, or wonder. Choice becomes a decision when implementation takes place. Focus your time, energy, self, and purpose on the decision. If you can’t do this and you are still thinking about alternatives, then your decision will be not be good because you’re not able to let go of those other options.

8. Help yourself in every way possible to make your decision work. Other decisions might have worked just as well, but you have to be loyal and optimistic about the one you've made.