How to decide on what to decide

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Lately, I have been reflecting quite a lot about decisions. The way they are taken, how I react to them, and how they make me feel. 

The starting point for my reflection was a combination of this article, my back-to-work to-do list where everything seemed equally important as I was spiraled into driving someone else’s agenda, and some political party’s choices made for the ongoing electoral campaign in Sweden. Very, very different angles. Yet all of them brought me to the conclusion that

The way we relate to decisions and take them is becoming a more important skill as the world around us is getting more and more complex. 

Think about it, decisions become a way to measure success (last world = sign of power), judge ourselves (did I or didn’t I make the right call), judge others (what was he/she thinking?!) both in work and private context. And we have to make a lot of them, every day. 

Especially if you work with product development, or any other job where making the right call (or realizing early you made the wrong one) is the epitome of success, you have to deal with the fact that you will be overwhelmed by decisions. At work and at home. All day, every day.

Anything ranging from what to wear, and where to eat to what is the most important customer problem to solve, prioritizing short-term or long-term value, and deciding whether are we working on the right things or not. Only to circle back at the end of the day, starring at a myriad of choices on your TV, when Netflix doesn’t help ease up your decision burden.

Picture curtesy of Brendan Church via Unsplash

You might be wondering, this is no news, why does this matter? Why I think this really matters for every one of us, but especially the ones working with decisions and priorities, is because you need to be aware of the fact that the more decisions you have to make, the more psychological fatigue you’ll experience, the more risk-averse you will become, and the more inclined to want to do things in a certain way you will be. 

The more you have to choose, the more you will want to choose things that do not require too much brain power. Consciously or unconsciously.

Come on, we’ve all been there: ending up always eating the same food, going back to the same safe places, or product developing things in a certain way. Just because it is easier, we know the drill. But innovation, might it be personal or at work, requires more.

And this is why coming back to work I am trying to be more conscious about the decisions I make, and which ones I decide to make. These are some concrete things I am thinking about:

Triage decisions: do I really have to make them?

The first step is of course trying to reduce the number of decisions on my plate. When there is a lot going on, I have a tendency of seeing all decisions as equally important, but they are not. Some are worth the extra effort, some are not. Making that first triage and really consciously deciding on what to put my time and brain power into is the first, and many times most difficult, step. The first question I ask myself is: what return on time investment will this give me? And, as Bezos would phrase it, is this a one-door or two-doors decision?

Practice curiosity about other’s decisions

As soon as you start delegating, you have to be better at accepting and understanding others’ decisions. Check-in with yourself: what is your first reaction when someone else presents an idea? Do you judge it, or do you try to understand it? And how much of your own bias play into that reaction? Practicing curiosity is not easy, but it helps in creating empathy and it will for sure help you with your decision burden in the long run.

I, for example, have a tendency of having “but why” a first instant reaction. What I am starting to learn is to count to 10, let that spontaneous reaction pass, and try to understand more. I cannot always control the first thing that pops into my head, but I can control the second, and that is the most important part.

Take the time to make a decision

Not all decisions need data, and a lot of backing and understanding, but some do. In the midst of a decision overload, when moving fast becomes the only mantra, I am guilty of sometimes taking some decisions on the spot, without fully appreciating their impact. Thinking back about it I really spent more time choosing what to watch on Netflix than on a work decision. This is one of the paradoxes of decision overload.

Practice patience

In my case sometimes I make decisions because I can’t stand things not moving forward. I go above and beyond what I am supposed to do, and I take the lead. This is what makes me good at my job, and that is also what makes me bad at my job. As complexity increases, I have to live with the fact that I can’t go and fill in all the gaps. This requires patience and acceptance, and yes it really hurts every single cell of my body when I see things not moving. But I have to learn to accept it.

I am starting by getting better at ”not acting” by limiting the things I do during the weekend and embracing boredom. Any other tips on this?