It can be really hard to make the right choices in your business. There are so many different things you can do, choices you can make, and things that can go wrong. You want to make sure everything goes right in your business. You want to make sure you succeed beyond your wildest dreams.
But, how can you possibly succeed when you’re totally confused with all the options that are in front of you? First, I want you to know that you’re definitely not alone in this. Many people, especially in online business, have a big problem with decisiveness. There are so many different business models to choose from and different ways to implement each of those business models – it’s no wonder it’s so confusing.
The fact that you have to make choices every day is never going to change. Some days, you’ll have to make big, life altering decisions. Other days, you’ll make smaller, simpler decisions. Sometimes, these smaller decisions are made on autopilot… but often they’re not. If you find yourself stewing over even the smallest decisions, then it’s time to make some changes.
How Long Does It Take You to Make a Decision?
Estimate how long it to generally takes you to make a good simple, daily decision. Do you think you make decisions fairly quickly or do you think you need a lot of improvement in this area? If it takes you several minutes to make small decisions (or even several hours, as it does for some people), that’s really holding you back.
Instead of moving forward in your business you’re constantly stuck, paralyzed, and unable to move forward.
Once you do make a decision, do you always stick with that decision? Again, many people make a choice, but then doubt themselves and choose something else altogether. It’s one step forward and two steps back. That’s no way to run a business or a life.
Now, think about how long it typically takes you to make bigger decisions. For example, maybe it takes you forever to choose a new business model to follow. Or, maybe it takes you a while to choose a way to implement that particular business model.
How often do you switch gears and choose an entirely different business model from the one you were sure you were going to follow through with? If you’re one who has trouble following projects through to completion, then that probably describes you.
How Long Should It Take to Make a Decision?
Now let’s talk about how long it should take you to make a decision. It might surprise you to hear that it shouldn’t take that long. Whether the decision you’re trying to make is a small or a large one, making faster decisions and being more decisive can help you dramatically improve your business.
That’s because you should spend most of your time moving forward and taking real action rather than stewing over multiple choices. Often, your first instinct is the best one. The more you think about it and go back and forth, the more confusing you make things for yourself.
You’re wasting time on decision-making instead of implementation. There’s a better way to do things. You should be able to make big decisions quickly and you should be able to make smaller, simpler decisions in under a minute.
Let’s say it typically takes you 15 minutes to make a simple, everyday decision. Well, if you cut that down into one minute, you can spend the rest of the your time implementing. Implementation equals profit. When you compound all of the simple decisions you have to make in a day, then it’s clear that being more decisive, more quickly will save you a lot of time.
How to Make Big Decisions
Let’s talk more specifically about how you might be able to make bigger decisions more decisively. The classic way to do it is to start off with a pro/con list. I think that’s a good idea. A pro/con list helps you weigh all the facts. Writing them down really helps instead of having them swarm around in your head in a confusing way.
I also think that you should follow your gut when it comes to making big decisions. Pay attention to your instincts because they are often going to lead you in the right direction. And when I say “right” answer I don’t mean that there always is one. Often, there’s more than one right answer or even an unlimited number of right answers.
Don’t waste time by being indecisive even about really big decisions. Just give yourself the facts. Think about what your first instinct was and is. If you don’t implement the decisions you make, you won’t get very far anyway. So, you may as well make the decision more quickly, with the facts in front of you, and just go for it. You have a much higher chance of success than you would if you stewed over every decision as has become your habit.
How to Make Small Decisions
The same steps hold true for making smaller decisions, except you’ll give yourself even less time because these decisions don’t matter nearly as much. Inform yourself of the different options and maybe even think about the pros and cons even for the small decisions.
Then, give yourself just 60 seconds to make the decision. Force yourself to make the choice. Don’t let yourself stew over it – you can even set a timer for 60 seconds so that you can be sure you don’t go over the time limit. Make the decision and move forward.
Be More Decisive and Earn and Achieve More in Business
If you’re more decisive in your business, then you will accomplish so much more because you’ll have more time left over to take action.
Another great benefit is that you will get used to making the right kinds of decisions. You’ll be implementing more, practicing more, and see more of what works and what doesn’t work. This kind of action taking gives you the right information that you need at the time. You’ll have more experience and make better choices all the way around.
There’s a certain amount of anxiety that can come along with decision-making. When you become a pro at being decisive and just making a choice, it’s very freeing. It helps you see that not everything is so serious. As long as you have solid goals and the choices you make are in line with achieving those goals, you’ll be just fine.
Being decisive empowers you. If you’re more decisive, then you can have a better business overall. It’s very worth it to work on your decision-making skills and to become more decisive and therefore more of an action taker.
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