12. Decision making and intuition

Decision making and intuition

A lot of scientific work has been done over the years on the process of decision making (see a recebnt article below). After all the world “runs on human decisions” from minor inconsequential ones to major decisions that have and will continue to change the course of history.

Have you tracked the quality of your decisions over the years? Do you know what helped you make good decisions and why you made bad ones? Do you know what you can do to improve the quality of your decisions, small and big?

* Bruce Posner, Why do you decide the way you do, MIT Sloane Management Review, Winter 2015

Becoming a better decision maker

Below are some important steps you can take to improve the quality of your decisions.

1. The purpose of the steps below is to help you understand and habitualize science-based practices that will help you make better decisions. It is not intended to be a “process guide” that you should apply to every decision you make.

2. The first step is to automatically, and perhaps even sub-consciously ask yourself:  “What do I want the outcome of this decision to be. What will make it a good decision.” If you practice asking yourself this question before making any decision, big or small, it will become a habit after a few months.

3. The second step is to develop a set of core values that will guide all your decisions. Repeatedly affirming these core values to yourself will help you hard-wire them into your sub-conscious. In time, your brain will automatically retrieve these core values and use them as a reference when making all of your decisions.

4. Know yourself. Learn what type of your decisions are influenced by unhealthy emotions. Develop a system of alarms that your brain will sound loudly when you are about to make a misguided decision influenced by negative emotions. When your brain sounds this alarm stop, seek advice, and reconsider, especially when the decision is a consequential one.

5. Learn to rely on your intuition. Some of us have highly developed intuition and gut feelings, while others have not learned to listen to and rely on our intuition. But this ability can be developed with deliberate practice. In some situations when you have to make a quick decision or when the facts are not known (or knowable) it is better to rely on your intuition.

6. Similarly, learn to recognize which type of decisions require careful consideration, making a list of options with pros and cons associated with each option, and carefully analyzing each option.

7. Last, deliberately practice the steps above, applying them to each decision you make, and writing down the circumstances, process, and outcome of your decision. After a period of time you will notice that you have abitualized the process, and that the quality of your decisions has improved.

In this module you will learn how to:

a.   Habitualize techniques that will help you become a better decision maker

b. Start with the desired outcome in mind

c. Define the set of core values that will guide all your decisions

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