How to Become More Decisive

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Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads, and you didn’t know which way to turn? Have you ever started a project but not finished it? Well, you are not alone. Although we live in a world full of uncertainties, unpredictability, and distractions, decisions still need to be made. Otherwise, nothing will get done, and stagnation, procrastination, and self-doubt will set in.

Your life will be shaped by the decisions you carried out or did not carry out over time. Either way, not making a decision carries its own weight:

• Your friend was treated unfairly, and you said nothing. In essence, you made a decision not to come to your friend’s rescue.
• Your supervisor mistreats you, but you keep going to work every week, thus deciding to keep taking the psychological blows.
• Your dream is to have your own business, but you have not taken any action to start. Therefore, you have essentially decided not to start; as a result, you keep feeling unfulfilled.
• You have been thinking about going back to school to earn a diploma to get a better-paying job but have not made those calls to find a school and register for classes—you have just decided not to decide.
• Or perhaps you have wanted to start a 401K for your retirement but have not made the move to sign up.

As you can imagine from the scenarios above, the accumulation of indecision or lack of action can have dire consequences.

Most of the choices you make on a daily basis contribute to your present moment, financially, health-wise, socially, spiritually, and cognitively. For this reason, it is important to thoroughly examine your thoughts and then make a decision and act on it. Being indecisive has its own baggage, and the costs could have ripple effects. On the other hand, being decisive allows a person to function at a high level—toward self, family, friends, and coworkers. Here are six tips on how to be more decisive.

1. Being decisive takes practice. There is a reason for the common saying: “Practice makes perfect.” You keep improving as you keep practicing. Great athletes practice every day even after they become famous because practice makes improvement. Likewise, decision-making requires constant practicing without fear of failure. Taking time to process your thoughts before acting is as much as anyone can do. You might even run your decision by a trusted colleague or expert, but it is still your decision to make. Just remember, you can make some corrections as you go, but you can’t correct something out of nothing if you never make a decision and implement it in the first place.
2. Honor your health by deciding. Indecisiveness can be unhealthy because it can lead to frustration, anxiety, low self-esteem, and other health and psychological issues. If you want to honor your health, always think through your plans and make the best decision you can. Nothing grows or happens in an indecisive zone. Only when a decision is made and action is taken can the impact be measured. For your health’s sake, don’t make indecision a habit. Instead, decide to be thoughtful and action-oriented.
3. Indecision has a ripple effect. When you decide not to decide, your indecision can affect everyone that is directly or indirectly connected to the challenge that required your decision. Before neglecting to make a decision, think about how many people your indecision could affect, especially if you are in a position of authority. Indecision can come across as irresponsibility or even passive-aggressiveness—leaving someone else to take up the slack. Instead, think through the options, act, and hope for the best. But being noncommittal is not an option.
4. There may always be a better way. No matter how much time you spend on one issue to come up with a preferred plan, there’s always a different way of solving the same problem. Sometimes, you cannot get to a better plan until you first make a decision and act on it. Simply put, don’t get stuck on waiting to get to the better plan and abandon making the first plan. Make a decision and take action and go from there, learning as you go.
5. Timing may be essential. Strike while the iron is hot because some decisions are time-sensitive. In business negotiations, you and your team have to know how many times to reject an offer and when to decide to accept or finally reject the offer. In a decision-making process, the quality of the discussions between both parties determines the life of the negotiation process. However, as Kenny Rogers said, "You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em"—otherwise, the negotiation will never end. So, it is necessary to recognize the seriousness of making a decision when time is of the essence.
6. Accept the outcome and keep moving. There is no such thing as a perfect decision. Even a well-thought-out plan still has the possibility of not turning out as intended. The best anyone can do is to make the best decision possible at the time, take action, accept the consequences, and move on. Whether things turn out as you hoped or not, rather than second-guessing your decision, it is better to learn from both what worked well and what didn’t work well so you can do better the next time.

Indecision can lead to several issues, especially health-related issues. That is why it is important to have a mindset of thoughtfulness and implementation. To be able to do that, you have to understand that being decisive takes practice; it is healthy to have the mind of a decision-maker; decisions have a ripple effect; there may always be a better way, but you have make the best decision you can now; timing is often crucial; and always accept the outcome and keep moving.