How Decisions Shape Your Life: The Importance of Giving Yourself Time to Think
We make countless decisions every day, from what to eat for breakfast to what to watch on Netflix. Some of these decisions are trivial and have little impact on our lives, while others are more significant and can have lasting consequences. How do we make the best decisions possible? And how do our decisions shape our lives? According to psychology, decision-making is the cognitive process of choosing among several alternatives based on our beliefs, values, preferences, and goals1. Decision-making can be influenced by various factors, such as emotions, biases, information, time pressure, and social norms2. Some decisions are made quickly and intuitively, while others require more deliberate and rational thinking2. One of the keys to making good decisions is to give yourself time to think. This means not rushing into a choice without considering all the options and their potential outcomes. It also means not letting your emotions or impulses cloud your judgment. By giving yourself time to think, you can:
Giving yourself time to think can help you avoid common decision-making errors, such as:
Giving yourself time to think can also help you make decisions that are more consistent with your true self and your long-term goals. As Tony Robbins, a famous personal development coach, said: “It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped” . By making conscious and thoughtful decisions, you can shape your life in the direction you want. Of course, giving yourself time to think does not mean procrastinating or avoiding making a decision altogether. Sometimes, you have to act fast and trust your intuition, especially in situations where there is no clear right or wrong answer. However, whenever possible, it is wise to slow down and think before you decide. This can help you make better decisions that will benefit you and those around you. A psychology study that supports this idea is the one conducted by Dijksterhuis et al. (2006), who found that unconscious thought can improve complex decision-making. They asked participants to choose among four cars based on different attributes. Some participants were given four minutes to consciously think about their choice, while others were distracted by an unrelated task for four minutes before making their choice. The researchers found that the distracted participants made better choices than the conscious thinkers, because they had more time for their unconscious mind to process the information. This study suggests that giving yourself time to think does not necessarily mean consciously analysing every aspect of a decision. Sometimes, it can mean letting go of the problem for a while and letting your subconscious mind work on it. This can help you access more information and insights that are not available to your conscious awareness. In conclusion, decision-making is a crucial skill that affects every aspect of our lives. By giving yourself time to think, you can improve your decision-making quality and avoid common pitfalls. You can also make decisions that are more aligned with your true self and your long-term goals. Remember that every decision you make shapes your life in some way, so make sure you make them wisely.
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AuthorHoward Hughes Archives
November 2023
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