How to Make Better Decisions: A framework for choosing the right path for your goal
Making decisions can be a daunting task, especially when you’re faced with so many options and you don’t want to make the wrong choice. We’ve all been there: You have a goal or an outcome you want to achieve, but your mind is spinning with a bunch of thoughts on how you could get there. For example, you might want to reduce your stress, but where should you start? Improving your time management at work? Building better sleep habits? Creating and following a budget to deal with finances? Exercising more? Drinking less?
Rather than getting paralyzed or just picking one based on some gut instinct, try using this simple framework to help you make an intentional and informed choice about which option makes the most sense for you based on a set of important criteria that you select. Here are six steps that will help you make better decisions and reach your goal:
Identify the goal
Expand your options: brainstorming
Define your priorities
Refine your options: decision matrix
Identify next steps
Take action
Identify the Goal
Before you start your decision-making process, make sure you really understand your goal. Ask yourself questions to ensure that the goal you identified is really aligned with the outcome you are hoping to achieve. This article has some great guiding questions to help you identify the right goal for you. At a high level, you want to ask yourself:
What is the purpose of this goal and what do I ultimately hope to achieve?
Why is this my goal? (seems like a no-brainer but most of us fail to ask ourselves this basic question)
What does success look & feel like, and how will my life be different if I succeed?
How does this align with my values (and what even are my values?)
How does this fit into my long-term vision for life or “the big picture?”
Brainstorming
You may already have a sense of which ideas could help you reach your goal, but don’t jump to any conclusions just yet. First, review all your options and take a “yes, and” perspective. For each option (within reason), complete this sentence: ”The thing I like most about this idea is . What if I/we ?”
Aim to generate as many ideas as possible. The more divergent and wide-ranging, the better. Don’t limit yourself to what feels “realistic” or “reasonable” (we’ll get to that later). For now, aim for volume and creativity. No idea is too big, too small, too crazy, too anything. Everything goes.
You can do this activity on your own, but if you can recruit any friends, colleagues, or family members who are familiar with the goal and the purpose, go for it! The more people with diverse experiences, the more creative and wide-ranging your options will be.
There’s only one rule: You have to timebox this activity. Choose how long you will engage in the brainstorming phase, set a timer, and stick to it. You can go through multiple rounds if it’s helpful, but giving yourself a clear time limit, perhaps paradoxically, has been shown to increase creativity.
For more thoughts on brainstorming, check out this article on brainstorming in a work environment.
Define Your Priorities
Now the ideas are really flowing. You’re itching to jump into action mode. But before you narrow down your options, make sure you’re really giving yourself the best shot at success. Start by identifying your priorities. What are the most important factors that will contribute to a successful outcome?
Here are some possible criteria to consider:
Cost/Resource Requirement
Values-Alignment
Known Risks/Benefits
Support Systems
Stakeholder Impact
Growth Opportunities
Flexibility
Cultural/Social Factors
Skills Alignment
Long- vs Short-term Impact
Choose the top 5 factors that have the greatest impact on the success or failure of the overall process and outcome. Then, define the relative importance of each factor by assigning them a weight on a scale of 1-5 (1 = “nice but not a requirement” and 5 = “this is a critical factor to success”).
Refine Your Options: Decision Matrix
Choose the top 5 options from your brainstorm that most appeal to you and feel aligned with your top priorities. Now you can create your decision matrix. It should look something like this:
If you really want to dig in on one option at a time, you can use one matrix per option, like so:
Whichever option you choose, it’s time to fill out your decision matrix with your top options and factors. Consider how each option addresses the factors you selected and give them a score from 1–5 (1 = doesn’t meet this criterion, 5 = perfect fulfillment of criterion).
Once you have scored each option against each factor, multiply that cost by the factor’s weight. Add up all of the scores to find each option’s total score. The highest score should be the most aligned with your goals and success factors. This is the time to do a quick gut check: Does this feel right? If not, you may need to adjust your criteria or the weighting.
If everything feels right, you’re almost ready to get started.
Identifying Next Steps
Now you’ve made a decision about what path or option(s) you want to pursue. But before you just jump into action, take some time to prepare yourself and identify the right next steps. Solid preparation will greatly increase your chances for success. Ask yourself these questions to help guide your process:
What skills, knowledge, or resources do I need to gain for this option to work?
Who/what can I learn from?
Who can help me?
What obstacles do I need to plan for/around?
What strengths can I lean on?
What helpful resources are available to me?
What are my next steps?
If you’re ready to get started on your decision-making process, but could use a bit more help, get the free Making Better Decisions Workbook below to guide you through this process. With these six steps, you'll be well on your way to making better decisions and achieving successful outcomes.
Want even more support and guidance? Book an exploratory call to find out if coaching is a good fit for you.