Winning decisions aren’t made by chance—they’re made by people who know how to cut through uncertainty, clarify priorities, and act decisively. The short answer? You make better decisions by creating structure, mastering your thought process, and learning to trust both your data and your instincts. The long answer? Let’s break it down.
What Is Decision Making?
Decision making is the process of choosing between two or more options based on your goals, values, and the context you’re in. While that sounds straightforward, the reality is far more complex—because we make thousands of decisions every single day, and most of them are unconscious.
Understanding the Process Behind Everyday Choices
Whether you’re choosing what to eat for lunch or whether to pivot your business strategy, every decision is a calculation. It involves assessing options, predicting outcomes, weighing risks, and aligning with priorities. Your brain is constantly trying to conserve energy—so it shortcuts as much of this process as it can. That’s why your default settings matter so much.
Why Developing This Skill Matters in Life and Leadership
Decision-making is the core skill of leadership. Great leaders aren’t necessarily those with the most information—they’re the ones who can filter out the noise, align their decisions with their values, and move forward with confidence. It’s also a core life skill. The quality of your decisions shapes the quality of your relationships, health, finances, and success.
Why Is It Hard to Make Decisions?
Most people don’t struggle because they lack information—they struggle because they’re overwhelmed by it. Add fear, perfectionism, or unclear priorities into the mix, and decision-making becomes a minefield.
The Fear of Making the Wrong Choice
The fear of regret is paralyzing. We want certainty before we commit. But the truth is, there’s no such thing as 100% certainty. Every decision carries risk. Waiting for a perfect option often leads to no decision at all—which is a decision in itself, and usually not a good one.
Lack of Clarity on Priorities and Values
When you’re unclear on what truly matters to you, every option feels equally weighted. That’s when decision-making stalls. Leaders who don’t define their values end up reacting instead of choosing. Clarity isn’t a luxury—it’s a leadership necessity.
Advantages of Making Good Decisions
High-quality decisions don’t just prevent problems—they unlock opportunity. When you develop this skill, you stop drifting and start leading.
Achieving Goals Through Informed Choices
Every goal you set will require a series of aligned decisions to reach it. When you improve your ability to evaluate options and choose wisely, you accelerate your progress. Momentum builds. Wins compound.
Avoiding Problems Before They Arise
Smart decision-making is proactive, not reactive. It allows you to anticipate roadblocks before they appear and pivot early. That’s not luck—it’s leadership.
Increasing Happiness and Confidence
When you make choices that align with your values and priorities, you reduce inner conflict. You second-guess less. You trust yourself more. That sense of integrity and direction leads to a deeper level of confidence—and, ultimately, satisfaction.
How to Make a Decision in 7 Steps
Making better decisions doesn’t require a PhD. It requires a repeatable process—one you can apply across business, relationships, and personal growth. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1 – Acknowledge the Volume of Daily Decisions
You make an estimated 35,000 decisions every day. That’s not a typo. The majority are small and automatic—but they drain your energy all the same. Start by noticing just how often you choose, so you can bring more awareness to the choices that matter most.
Step 2 – Avoid Decision Fatigue
Your decision-making power is like a battery. It depletes with use. To protect it, automate as many small choices as possible. Create morning routines, pre-plan meals, block focused work time. Save your cognitive energy for the decisions that move the needle.
Step 3 – Use The 0-10 Rule to Clarify Options
If an option isn’t a 9 or 10, it’s a no. This tool forces you to filter out the mediocre and stay aligned with your best outcomes. It works for hiring, strategy, partnerships—even what you say yes to on your calendar.
Step 4 – Overcome Analysis Paralysis
You don’t need more data—you need more clarity. Set a deadline. Limit your options. Get input from trusted voices, but don’t outsource the final call. The faster you decide, the faster you learn.
Step 5 – Accept Your Choices and Let Go of Regret
Once you’ve decided, commit. Regret keeps you tied to a moment that’s already passed. Leadership requires forward momentum. Own your decision and focus on what’s next, not what could’ve been.
Step 6 – Listen to Your Gut
Your intuition isn’t random—it’s pattern recognition based on lived experience. When something feels off, pay attention. When something feels aligned, don’t overthink it. Data and instinct work best together.
Step 7 – Take Action and Build Confidence
Clarity without action is wasted potential. Once you’ve chosen, act quickly. Every time you follow through, you train your brain to trust itself more. Confidence doesn’t precede decisions—it follows them.
Tools You Can Use To Improve Your Decision-Making Process
Having a toolkit you can lean on takes the pressure off your brain. Use decision-making frameworks consistently and they become second nature.
The 0–10 Rule for Fast and Focused Decisions
This isn’t just a filter—it’s a discipline. Rating options on a scale forces you to define what “great” actually looks like. Stop settling for maybes. Get comfortable cutting out the 6s and 7s.
Decision Journals for Self-Awareness and Reflection
Documenting your decisions—especially the big ones—builds self-awareness. Write down what you chose, why you chose it, and how it turned out. Over time, you’ll start to see patterns in your thinking, biases, and growth.
Read This Book On Decision Making
If you want to go deeper, there’s one book that will change how you choose.
2 Second Decisions – A Formula for Quick, Confident Choices
This book offers a science-backed, real-world framework for eliminating hesitation and building confidence. It helps you stop spinning and start choosing with clarity, speed, and conviction.
How a PhD Framework Became a Life-Changing Tool
Born out of academic research and field-tested with leaders and teams, the 2 Second Decisions model is built on pattern recognition, constraint thinking, and values alignment. It’s not just theory—it’s practical, proven, and actionable.
FAQ About Decision Making
Q: How do I know if I’ve made the right decision?
A: You don’t always know right away. The key is to make the best decision with the information you have—and then commit fully. Results follow action.
Q: What if I’m afraid of making the wrong choice?
A: Every choice carries risk. But no decision is often worse than a wrong one. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s forward progress.
Q: How can I get better at trusting myself?
A: Track your decisions. Notice the ones that worked—and the ones that didn’t. Learn. Adjust. Confidence grows with reps.
