When you've got a million options before you, how do you decide? Which option is best?
I had the chance to attend a fascinating panel discussion yesterday where the speakers talked about how they make decisions and why we all make different choices from each other.
It's easy to think we make all our decisions the same way, but they aren't. Instead, we make different choices depending on which factors are most important to us.
For example, I might choose a book about personal finance over an exciting thriller because I care more about saving and investing than thrillers are my thing. But my friend might pick a thriller over personal finance because she cares more about entertainment than saving and investing.
How do you know which decision you're making right now?
In this article, I'm going to talk about seven factors that influence our decisions. If you can understand how these factors affect you, you'll be better able to identify which decisions you're making and the reasons behind those decisions.
Factors Influencing Your Decisions
These are the main reasons we make certain choices.
Time - Do you want to spend a long time deciding? This factor could affect the decision you make. Some decisions are better made quickly, while others can take hours or even days to resolve.
Impulse - Are you easily influenced by the first decision you make? If so, this could be a reason you're not sure whether or not to make a certain choice.
Attention - Do you have trouble focusing on one task at a time? If so, you may end up switching back and forth between different decisions.
Pleasure - Are you looking for things that give you pleasure, or are you trying to avoid things that give you pain? If you're choosing between two options, one that gives you pleasure and the other one that gives you pain, the one with pleasure will likely win.
Memory - Do you find that you remember something better if you write it down? A study shows that people remember better the more they write down their thoughts.
Ease - Is it easier to choose a decision if you don't have to think about it?
Interest - Have you been thinking about the decision at all? If not, then it may not matter much to you. It's likely that you'll make a decision without knowing it.
To demonstrate how these factors play out in real life, I'd like to share a story about a real woman who was struggling with making the best choice for her life.
Jenny was a single mother of a young girl who had just turned 10. She had been working at a job that paid a pittance, and was struggling to keep the lights on while trying to put food on the table for her daughter.
One day, Jenny overheard a conversation where her sister was complaining about her financial situation and saying that she couldn't afford to take care of herself anymore. She was planning to quit her job and try to get a job at another company where she felt she'd have more
Interesting