Decision making can be stressful, mainly because of the fear of the unknown. However, there are several ways and clear signs that you can use to determine when the right time to make a decision is.
Do your research.
This may sound like such a simple statement, but research is very important in most things that we do. Oftentimes, you do research without even knowing it. When you perceive your surroundings, communicate with others, and read about current events, you are constantly doing research about yourself and the world around you.
Before making any decision, you have to fully understand the situation. Some important questions to ask yourself are:
- Who will this decision affect?
- How do surrounding situations affect this decision?
- What will be the next steps to take after making this decision?
Most decisions are never truly personal decisions. Many things end up affecting others around us in ways that we may not even realize. When doing research, you have to account for other people, as well as yourself.
Weigh the pros and cons.
Weighing the positives and negatives of a situation is another key task. Be sure to actually take the time to write these things down. Usually, all of the pros and cons don’t come to you at once, so you have to be able to add to the list every time you think of something new. Spend at least a few days thinking about the decision. New ideas tend to come to people after a good night’s sleep or during times of relaxation.
When weighing the pros and cons of a situation, remember to be very honest with yourself. Sometimes, when a decision is really exciting, we tend to not want to think about the negatives of the situation. It’s important to keep an unbiased approach when weighing the facts of a decision.
Determine the correct time and place.
Right time, right place is a real thing! It’s important to maintain the correct balance of moving forward without forcing things into place. This is a very tricky part. In order to achieve your goals, you have to work towards them. But, at the same time, if something is not working out due to certain reasons, it may be time to change your game plan.
Sometimes changing your game plan involves taking a break. It’s perfectly okay to take breaks when working towards a decision or goal. Sometimes we just need to mentally or physically renew ourselves before getting back to work. Don’t be discouraged if everything in your decision-making process isn’t falling into place right away. Many things are more complex than we can even understand, and often times, there are a few surprises along the way when you are actually putting your plan into action.
Determining the correct time and place to make your decision involves weighing several things, such as finances, personal factors, and health factors. When choosing the right time and place to put a plan into action, you have to strike the correct balance between “working hard” and “working smart”.
In all, decision-making is a process that proves to be challenging for many people, but taking the right steps will help to make your journey as smooth as possible.
