Many people feel they aren’t good at making decisions. Some feel threatened by too many choices while others feel discouraged by not having enough. Either issue results in paralysis by analysis. You can end up not making a decision. The time taken results in you losing the opportunity to choose with all possibilities passing you by or life choosing for you, making you feel as if you have no control over your life. The issue here is not the problems with the number of choices or the analysis of them. The issue is the method of thought. We are looking at every option with only the choice itself or it’s surface in mind. We need more information to feel we are making a good decision. We should make our choices not allowing more than 3 options at a time and then drill down. We need to think 2 steps ahead.
The maximum of 3 resolves the issue of too many choices preventing the waste of time studying the surface of multiple choices but what about the person that only has one or two choices and feels they need more? They don’t. More choices present the same issue that dwelling on the lack of them does. Wasted time. The people with fewer choices should see their situation as a perk. You can skip a step and get down to the meat of the issue. Analyzing and thinking ahead. This will make the decision easier and give you a idea of what comes after the choice. It gets you passed the surface. Let say you are single with no children and need to decide between 3 job offers. Of course, you can play along and replace the parts of the scenario that does not fit your situation. Job 1 is a parallel move in every aspect but it cuts your commute down by 45 minutes each way. Job 2 includes an instant promotion with the same commute as the current job and a nice but underwhelming salary bump of about 15k. Job 3 includes a promotion, a 50k salary bump, but is in a new town. What do we do here? Well, first acknowledge we have 4 options and immediately get down to 3.
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We have 3 job offers so most likely we are ready to leave our current situation. Okay, done. Now we have reached the ideal 3 choices. Now, we assess the surface of the 3 then drill down. Job 1 will give you an hour and a half back Monday through Friday. Cool. The con? You are not gaining any money or moving up in your career. Job 2 will give you the status you want. The con? The commute is the same and you think you should be making more money for the title you’d have. Job 3 will give you the status you want and more money than you’ve ever made. The con? It’s in a new city. You can see how on the surface you still can’t make a decision. Let’s drill down. Job 1 will allow you to sleep in an extra 30 minutes with 15 minutes left to add to your morning routine. No rush in the morning means less stress along with a shorter ride. A better mood may put you in a position to produce better work and get that promotion you want. Don’t forget about the additional 45 minutes you get in the afternoon. Good times. You are not making more money but less stress is worth thousands. Less gas means you’ll get a few extra dollars in your pocket about a tank and a half worth a month.
Job 2 is the resume boost you were looking for. You don’t get any additional time on the commute and have a little more on your plate because of the promotion. So let’s look at the money. 15k will be about $800-$900 a month after taxes. That additional income can help you qualify for that condo or townhome you’ve had your eye on or you can get a new car to “fit” the position you have. Investing is also an option. Almost 10k in investments done correctly can double quickly bringing more options in the near future. Job 3 is giving you the equivalent of another person’s salary to go along with yours. You get the same resume boost with the promotion. The con? New City. The city itself may be great but you don’t know anyone there. You don’t have a family of your own so you’ll need to find new friends while adapting to your new surroundings and job. Now we are more equipped to make a decision. Which one would you choose?
In closing, thinking 2 steps ahead helps in multiple ways. It reminds you to limit your options immediately. This saves you time. It helps you focus on the best options and drill-down levels passed the surface. This helps you make the best decision. It can be adopted in every aspect of your life. This gives you an advantage which not many people have. Adding this to your arsenal will put you in a position to assess every opportunity that comes with the confidence you’ve never had. That confidence is 100% belief you’ll make the best choice.
Food for thought…You do the dishes.
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