Decisiveness: A Practical Guide

Being decisive can save you time, reduce stress, and reflect positively on you. Decisiveness depends on the existence of three well-honed characteristics - being realistic, self- confident, and action oriented.A four-step process can be used to help make good decisions. The process involves defining the objective, developing alternative solutions, assessing these options, and choosing the best option.Decisive people are realistic. You can embody realism by balancing optimism and pessimism, being analytical, and being clear headed. To balance pessimism and optimism as you make decisions, think like a pessimist to identify problems and think like an optimist to identify solutions.To be analytical, think before acting, learn from past experiences, and identify the pros and cons of each choice. To be clear headed, consider the bigger picture, eliminate bias, and define the objective of the decision.Self-confidence is necessary for decisiveness. With some concentrated effort you can build your confidence in decision making.First, be honest about when you're at your best, and when you're not. Once you identify the situations in which you perform best, find ways to operate in those situations instead of situations you don't excel in. You can also work to replace negative thoughts with more positive thoughts - they are infinitely more productive.Second, cultivate thoroughness by listening carefully, avoiding unnecessary assumptions, and considering the consequences of all decisions.Third, stay calm to avoid making hasty, inappropriate decisions. Build your ability to remain calm by studying past decisions, planning for potential events, and reviewing your own performance.Decision making is a process, not just an instantaneous choice. First, determine whether you need to make a decision yet. Second, if action is required, avoid procrastination and make a decision. Finally, implement the decision. Monitoring progress and updating the implementation helps make sure the decision's objective is achieved.Procrastination is a barrier to decisiveness that can be difficult to overcome. Self-discipline is essential if you want to avoid being tempted by procrastination. This involves being able to set aside immediate pleasures in favor of achieving larger goals in the future.There are three actions you can take to avoid procrastinating about a decision. First, learn to motivate yourself by focusing on either the rewards of your success or the consequences of failing to achieve your objectives. Second, recognize and get rid of excuses by asking whether you're looking for reasons to delay something and determining how you can stay on task. Finally, intermittently allow yourself to procrastinate after forcing yourself to stay on task for a short period of time.Fear can manifest itself in two ways when it comes to making decisions. First, it can lead you to obsess about decisions. To overcome this way of thinking, you can follow three steps: distract yourself, try to exercise, and write down some steps you'll take to help you reach a decision.Fear can also make you afraid to make the wrong decision. But it's important to realize that a lot of things are beyond your control. To escape this fear, focus your attention on what you can do and away from the outcome of the decision. This involves reframing your thoughts in terms of the actions you can take.Information overload is when you have so much information that it prevents you from making a particular decision. Signs of information overload include confusion, inability to relax, and difficulty sleeping.