Decision Making Steps - How To Make Good Decisions

You have a hard problem to make a decision on. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a logical approach to making a good decision? Well there is! The decision making steps presented here can guide you to a wise and well thought out decision.

Remember that a good decision making methodology can make your decisions much more accurate. Getting used to employing a model that will help you decide will ultimately help you discipline yourself so that you can make the right choice every time after you've gone through each of the steps.

Stating the Problem

Whether your problem is personal or business related, it is a good idea to write it down. Please make certain that the problem statement is correct. It is very frustrating when your go through the whole decision process only to find that your decision is wrong, because you were not working on the right problem. You must state your problem in a way that there is no ambiguity. Then you can move on and try to figure out which path you should take.

Considering Alternate Routes

The next part of the decision making steps is considering alternate routes and choices you could make. Consider what other approaches you could use to arrive at the same ends, which is your ultimate goal. If you're trying to figure out whether you should take out a new mortgage, consider your alternatives for cash flow. Likewise, ask yourself this question to help you list the alternatives: "What else can I do?"

Analyzing Your Choices

This is perhaps the most important part of all decision making models. Your goal when analyzing your choices should be to list the advantages, disadvantages, and any complications of the alternatives that you thought of previously. Will someone get hurt as a result of the decision that you make? Will making one choice allow you more freedom and security in your life? Figuring out the consequences to your actions is what you want to figure out in this step. A more thorough way to analyze your alternative is to use a decision matrix.

Making And Implementing Your Decision

After you've listed and evaluated the alternatives, it's now time to make the decision. It is very important that you stick to your decision and not try to second guess yourself. Once you have made your decision, don't procrastinate implementing it. Otherwise your decision will be in vain. If you have gone through all the steps in-depth and have thought of everything you could about the decision you've made then you should be satisfied.

These five simple decision making steps are crucial in everyone's life. As mentioned, it's all about discipline and habit. Once you get into the habit of forcing yourself to go through this process, you'll have more confidence in yourself when you make decisions because you'll know that you have made the best choice that you are comfortable with.