The power of predeciding

When you are making a decision. Do you ...
... weigh all your options?
... leave no stone unturned?
... crowd source?

If yes, I bet making a decision can be exhausting for you.
Maybe even overwhelming. 
I'd venture to say you may even procrastinate making the decision.  (perfectionist much?)
If this is you, I have an idea. 
Reduce the fatigue of making a decision by predeciding in many areas of your life. 

For example:
Choose one area this week where you will predecide. 

• What you eat for breakfast. Choose one meal and have it each morning. 
• What you wear. Choose a few uniforms and get dressed in two minutes.
• Where you leave open spaces in your calendar. And welcome chats and scrolling and interruptions then, and only then. 
• When you allow for meetings and when you don't. 
• How you react when someone disagrees with you.
• What to do when an employee doesn't follow through.
• When you respond to emails. No more whack a mole with emailing. From 10-11 and 3-4 I answer email. 
• The hours you will dedicate to job search. Boundaries help you maintain the energy you need to job search. 
• The time you will allow for marketing your business. And then do it, no matter what. 

Decide in advance. 
Then, stick to the plan. 

Benefits?
Time saved. 
Mental energy saved.
Constraint practiced.
Learning when enough info is enough. 

Making decisions does not need to be complicated. But, I find many clients want to fight for that thought - this is tough, this is hard, this is very layered…
Okay, you can hold onto that thought, or you can just practice making a few decisions in advance and see its positiive impact on your life. 

So, choosing a meal is easy peasy. 
Choosing a few outfits for work is easy peasy. 
Let’s play out a more layered scenario. 

EXAMPLE: 
This is what pre-deciding travel decisions would look like:

• If it is more than an 8 hour drive, you fly. Decision made in advance.
• Your first choice airport is: X and your first choice airline is: Y.  Decision made in advance. (no spending 3 hours on expedia finding all the options)
• You buy the best aisle seat available in coach: Decision made in advance.
• You never check a bag. Decision made in advance. 
• When you land you always use Lyft. Decision made in advance. 
• When you get to your hotel (one that always has a gym and gets four stars or more), you always unpack your suitcase, even if you are only staying for one night. Decision made in advance. 

Will you spend more money some times? Probably.
Will you save immense amounts of time? Probably.
Will you get in a rhythm? Probably. 
Will it help to decide in advance not to second guess? Yes.
Will you want to second guess? Probably. 
 

I’m not trying to squash spontaneity. I am making room for spontaneity.  Doing all this pre deciding leaves so much more room, energy and margin. 

And your decisions are a reflection of your priorities: 
In this case, convenience, airline rewards, spending less money, leg room, comfort, and making time for exercise.