How the Ability to Decide Moves You Forward – in Business and in Life

Decision vs. indecision – moving forward vs. staying stuck
One key to productivity is the ability to decide. Deciding sets a course. Deciding is a precursor to action.

Indecision can be the equivalent of inertia …

I was ‘inert’ for most of my years surrounding college. Would I land (and stay) on the West Coast or East Coast?… Would I major in Archaeology, Geology, English Literature, Italian Cultural Studies, or Biology…? Would I choose Boy A, Boy B, or…

My life only really took shape when I decided what I wanted and began moving towards it. Deciding/setting an intention made the right opportunity more obvious when presented…. e.g. when I decided (in my mid-30s) what qualities Mr. Right might bestow it was easier to see those qualities when I met the man who later became my husband.

Deciding is also powerful in the workplace…

• Decide how you want your employees to be, then place a communication plan and measures to support then and track their progress.
• Decide how you want your career to progress and find ways to grow within your organization (if you hit a max or limiting walls, decide your next move).
• Decide the true mission of your team and ask if it fits with the overall goals of the company … then consider every aspect of your daily work. Do the team’s daily actions match the team’s mission and the company goals? If not, how valuable are those activities?

If any/all of the above are unclear, your work environment might be less than satisfying for you, your direct-reports and/or your team.

Deciding, perfectionism, and procrastination
In the broadest/macro sense, deciding represents a tension between failure and growth. Deciding/taking a course of action often leads to failure … And you only really grow by learning from these mistakes, right?

In entrepreneurship (and other ‘risky’ endeavors) you realize that in order to move in any direction — to grow — you have to decide. You often have to decide with some lack of surety… you could sit for weeks weighing the implications of one path versus another … at some point you have to make a move… you have to put something out there… otherwise your business will struggle.

So you decide. You take action. You put yourself (or your work) ‘out there.’ You see what happens. You fail. You tweak. You/your work gets better. You grow.

From a more narrow/micro view, decision making can be draining…

When my husband and I prepared to move several months ago, and began the weeding process months before that, we were overwhelmed by decision fatigue. For days, everywhere we looked we had to decide, “is it staying or going?” … “Is it going to trash, charity, someone we know?”… “Can we do without it for the three months between now and the final move?”

This ‘micro’ has to do with all the decisions associated with *things* – i.e. the necessities (and not so necessaries) of life. When weighing any new purchase I find myself thinking about how many decisions I am going to have to make about the item. I ask, “Is this thing really going to enhance my life, or am I going to have to move it several times, awkwardly store it, or root it out of the basement every time I want to use it…?”

As I’ve gotten better with decision-making, I’ve found that the Micro and the Macro merge for GOODness — for me, this is a relief…

…Decisions to do with the micro are easier when the macro decisions are clear – when they are named and decided.

One example of this – let’s say one of your goals is to live a more healthy lifestyle, and specifically, you want to incorporate more exercise. In order to realize a successful outcome, this goal has set a series of decisions in motion … all leading to and supporting fitness. So within the course of the day, when you are faced with a decision that is out of alignment with ‘fitness’ it should be easier to notice. E.g. if you are invited for drinks after work and your fitness plan requires an early start, you might decline the invitation, or suggest an alternative.

Of course I am not suggesting that we become anti-social to accommodate our goals, but when some ultimate goals are in place – clear and decided –  daily navigation is easier.

The Honing & Sorting section of my book, The Whole Package Professional, provides tips, techniques, and strategies for sorting through the many elements of your incredibly full life. The idea is to hone in on what is the most important, on what requires action, and on what key decisions would most elevate your quality of work and life.

To access this book section, send an email to linda@livingbluprints.com, subject line: DECIDE. The download will appear in your inbox liquidity split!

P.S.

Oh, and hey! I’m hosting a Live Public Event in September – Productivity for Whole Work + Life: An Interactive Workshop

Get CLEAR, get READY, design a PLAN for your best work, your best career, your best *LIFE*!

Join me and other hyper-busy professionals on Friday, September 23, from 8:45a until noon, Aloft Hotel, 727 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA to create a custom BluPrint for your life – at work, and at home. Learn more.