If you're having trouble making up your mind, Teen Breathe is here to help!
How often do you hear people telling you to make good choices? For some people making a decision can be tricky. For others, decisions are made in double-quick time, but not thinking them through might mean they change their minds afterwards, and then the same decision will have to be made again later. Whenever you have more than one option, it’s possible you could have made a ‘better’ or ‘worse’ choice. You might be able to guess where each decision will take you, but often you won’t know for sure until time has passed.
Try to remember that no one is born with the ability to make a good decision – the more choices you make, the better you get at it, and often there is no right or wrong answer. Here are six steps you can follow the next time you need to make a big decision…
6 STEPS TO EFFECTIVE DECISION-MAKING
1. What is the problem?
Write down the decision you want to make. It’s important you are clear on what it is you are trying to determine.
2. What is important to you?
Think about why you need to resolve this issue. This will give you an idea of how much it matters and how important it is for you to get it right. Ask yourself how your decision will affect you as a person and those you care about. Any decision you make should feel right – it needs to sit well with your personal values (the ideas you hold about what is important and what is not, what is wrong and what is right) and goals you want to achieve. If you make a choice that conflicts with either of these, it can leave you feeling disappointed.
3. Do some research and ask advice
Don’t feel you have to make tough decisions on your own. Speak to a friend or family member, they may have some sound advice and often just talking about your concerns can help. Doing some research can also be useful. Learning all you can about a project, option or area allows you to make an informed choice and means you’re less likely to find yourself saying: ‘If only I’d known that,’ later down the line. For example, if you’re trying to work out which school to go to, you might want to gather information on their academic results, feedback from current students, the location and the facilities.
4. List the possible options and alternatives
Make a list of every possible option you can choose from, even those that may sound silly at first. Put lots of ideas down on paper. Don’t judge what you’ve written, just keep going until you can’t think of any more. Remember, this is just a gathering of ideas.
5. What are the consequences?
Now that you have more information and a list of possible options, you can weigh up the pros and cons of each. For each one, ask yourself what the likely results would be of that decision. How will it affect you now? And in the future? Is it kind? Is it fair? Will it create a problem for someone else? Is it in line with your values and goals? Use all the information you’ve gathered so far and cross off any alternatives that you find to be impractical or that simply won’t work.
6. Decide on the best choice for you
Now for the scary part. You’ve identified the problem, done your research, asked advice and weighed up the consequences. It’s time to choose. Remember, whatever decision you make, it’s important to accept responsibility for the outcome. No one makes the right choices all the time, but you need to be prepared to stand by them, even when they don’t work out. And if you can say that you thought things through and made a conscious decision, your chances of getting it right next time around are hugely improved.
