Ways to Make Faster Decisions

How to think on your feet and make better decisions faster. Have you ever lost out on an opportunity because you just couldn't make a decision in time? It's tough, though--sometimes you just want more time to mull things over. There could be different options to consider, and you want to consider the best outcome of each one.

When you just don't have time to really weigh every angle, get in the right mindset for making a good, fast decision. Limit the number of options you have to consider by throwing out all but the best, right off the bat (give optimal stopping theory a try to narrow the field).

Draw a hard line between the good choices and bad; there's no point mulling over things that just aren't good for you. Of course, you should always trust your gut. Your gut feeling is based on all of those previous experiences and intuitive feelings you may not understand or even remember, but it won't lead you astray.

If you find yourself beginning to wallow a bit while decision making, remind yourself that indecision kills. You have to keep moving through the process. Don't let yourself get bogged down or paralyzed.

It really helps if you can think of your time as money. Value your hours in dollars, and break each hour down the way a law firm does, into 10 increments of six minutes. Six more minutes spent on this decision equals another $XX dollars spent. That should get you motivated to make up your mind!

The more you practice making decisions quickly, the more naturally it will come to you. Give yourself permission to make the wrong decision on occasion and get going!