© 2024 Rachel L. Shumate | All rights reserved.
Are you one of the many people who suffer from analysis paralysis? If making a decision sends you into a downward spiral where you relentlessly agonize over each option, and you wind up either not making a decision at all, or kicking yourself over the one you (eventually) did make, this might be just the thing for you!
It so happens that I was reading the book Atomic Habits by James Clear not long ago (great book by the way!) and more than once, he mentioned keeping a decision journal. This immediately piqued my interest given my love of journals (okay… slight obsession…). And since I have a whole section dedicated to fun ideas for blank journal pages, I decided to look into it.
Essentially, a decision journal provides a process to improve your decision-making abilities. It’s recommended that you use the same template for every entry to help you determine key elements for each decision. (You can download an example below.) Once you’ve weighed your pros and cons, come to a conclusion, and carried out your choice, it’s also a good idea to return to your entry and review what went right, or what you would do differently next time.
You might be wondering what exactly is the benefit of keeping such a journal… For starters, it helps you learn from your mistakes and understand how you might have emotional biases, or even be subconsciously sabotaging yourself. This journal is also a fantastic tool for building your confidence when it comes to decision-making.
Decisiveness is actually a very important life skill. In fact, successful people are known to make decisions quickly. They do not waffle (unless maybe they like to eat Eggos). They simply choose the option they feel is best, knowing that if things go sideways, they can always bounce back from their poor decision. Failure is not feared, and is instead considered just a learning experience. (No biggie!) One might say that they chalk it up to “research and development.”
If you’re feeling anxious just reading this, and thinking to yourself that you’ll never be able to do that, I have good news. Decision-making is a skill that you can learn and strengthen with practice. Try it out on small stuff like what outfit to wear, or what to eat for dinner. The goal is to make the choice quickly and run with it. For more important decisions, give this journal (or at least the template provided) a go. Eventually, you will find that it gets easier, and you’ll feel more confident in your ability to both make decisions, and learn from any mistakes made. Practice decisiveness and resilience. Remember, failure is truly not so bad. It simply means you’re trying and learning!
PS: Fun fact… Want to know how you really feel about a choice? When trying to decide something, flip a coin. When the coin is in the air, you’ll notice that you’re subconsciously rooting for the side, or outcome, you want it to be. It’s not about which side lands up, it’s about the realization you had when it was in the air. After you’ve figured that out, there’s no need to even look at how it landed.
🙂
