With spring on its way, the dawn of 2020 probably feels like a long time ago already. How have those New Year’s resolutions fared?
If they’ve mostly fallen by the wayside, don’t feel bad – it’s entirely normal. But if there are things you’d still like to change in your life, the very first step on that new path is to make the decision to change.
For many people, decision-making in any form is the most daunting part of all. When it feels like there’s a lot at stake, it can seem easier to shrink away from making a choice altogether and continue with the status quo.
But if that fear is holding you back in your professional life, there are steps you can take to make even the most intimidating decision seem more manageable. You can still resolve to be better at making firm, confident decisions.
It’s very easy to suffer from analysis paralysis, particularly when you have a dizzying array of options before you. First, draw a line under whatever research you’ve done to date – once you’ve looked into all the most important aspects, any additional data you gather after today is only likely to confuse you further.
Then, start cutting down on the avenues open to you by eliminating those that are unfeasible in some way, or that just don’t feel right.
Next, assess the effort and risk attached to each possible option. Remember, just because one course of action will take a longer time to play out, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be less effective than a short, swift strategy with more immediate results.
Don’t view course correction as a failure or decide that a decision must be absolute and immovable. You can take a path that is generally the right one and still need to make adjustments later on, when you have more information to guide you.
Finally, remember all the achievements that were made possible by your good judgement and decision-making. You have the tools to make smart decisions -– why not decide to use them?
Originally posted on Linkedin – March 2020
