Most of us have a decision we keep putting off: the job offer, the difficult conversation, the project that needs a clear yes or no. We tell ourselves we are waiting until we know more. Meanwhile, something is still being decided. Every day we wait, we choose to leave things as they are.
Not deciding is also a decision. It just happens to be the one we never chose on purpose.
The belief that keeps us waiting
One of the most common beliefs about decision-making is that it’s best to have all the information first. It sounds responsible. In practice, it rarely holds up:
- You can never have all the information. There is always one more report, one more opinion, one more week.
- Too much information can paralyse your decision-making instead of improving it.
- The need to know everything usually comes from fear and self-doubt, not from the decision itself.
Where the waiting comes from
You can only change the way you decide once you understand why you decide that way. Past failures, insecurities and fears all leave their mark.
The M-DAM, MindSpark’s decision assessment, shows how this plays out in different styles:
- Investigators fear missing information that could change the outcome.
- Examiners fear being rushed into overlooking something critical.
- Reformers fear making a choice that can’t be undone and affects other people.
None of these fears is foolish. But when they run every decision, the cost adds up: missed opportunities, lost time, and people left waiting on us. In the words of the M-DAM’s Maestro: “Indecisiveness is one of the biggest killers of goals and dreams.”
Five ways to decide sooner
- Ask how much information this decision really needs. A lunch order and a new hire deserve different amounts of research. Decide that first.
- Ask how much time it deserves, then set a deadline. Put the date in your diary. A decision without a deadline tends to drift.
- Sift, don’t stockpile. Keep only the facts that would change your choice. The rest is noise that slows you down.
- Separate reversible decisions from irreversible ones. Most decisions can be adjusted later. Not every decision needs the full weight of the judging scales.
- Give your intuition a vote. We all have intuition, but most of us use it far less than we should. Notice what your instinct says before you open another spreadsheet.
A word of balance
Deciding sooner does not mean deciding carelessly. Some decisions do need you to step back before diving in. The goal isn’t speed for its own sake. It’s the right amount of information, in the right amount of time.
Or, as the M-DAM’s Reformer puts it: “Give your best to every decision, take your time, and stand by your final choice, knowing you did your best.”
If you’re not sure which way you lean, the M-DAM shows you in about five minutes at mdam.mindspark.one. And if there’s a decision you’ve been putting off, today is a good day to make it.