Life is about making choices. Some sources suggest that we make about 35,000 decisions daily over a wide variety of topics.
It is particularly challenging to make decisions in a stressful environment. Life moves quickly, which means your choices need the speed to get out in front.
We can often make better choices by evaluating each situation’s different pros and cons. When that process isn’t enough, anyone can develop their strategic decision-making skills with a few simple exercises.
Thinking Fast and Slow
by Daniel Kahneman
⏱ 12 minutes reading time
🎧 Audio version available
What Can I Do to Improve My Strategic Decision Making?
Diversity creates strength. It allows for better choices, because more information is available to evaluate in different situations.
That means the best way to develop your strategic decision-making is to enhance the diversity you have in your daily routine.
Here are the exercises you can start today to create a positive result in this area.
Start learning a new language.
Working on something technical can help you start using different parts of the brain. If you begin to learn a new language, you’ll find it is easier to see the bigger picture during a difficult decision, because you have a broader perspective.
The best languages to learn today are Mandarin, Spanish, German, or Portuguese, if you are a native English speaker.
It doesn’t need to be a foreign language either. Taking a deep dive into programming or coding can deliver a similar result.
Practice the new language at least once per day to activate your mind in positive ways.
Form relationships with people of all ages.
Instead of developing relationships with people whom all think and act similarly, try to diversify your friend group. Older adults have experiences that can help you see a deeper perspective, while young people have the technological savvy to make the decision-making processes more efficient.
One of the best ways to take advantage of this resource is to speak with a mentor daily. This simple exercise expands your take on the world while adding their experiences and expertise to your own.
Reverse mentoring is also a valuable resource. Many of today’s most successful people have two mentors, one older and the other younger, to benefit from each perspective.
Add art and culture to your life.
The average Chief Executive Officer reads approximately 60 books per year.
You can also find today’s top leaders pursuing multiple interests, ranging from stargazing to collecting stamps.
What is something you’ve always wanted to try? You could add a weekly dance class to your schedule, start practicing a martial art, or even attend performances of the local theater group.
Whenever you add art or culture to your life, you’re enhancing the diversity of your experiences. That knowledge turns into wisdom you can use to make better decisions.
Spending time with the arts and different cultures can also boost your mood, increase your concentration, and improve your focus.
You don’t even need to go anywhere to take advantage of this benefit. Try painting, practicing photography, or composing music to tap into this energy.
Get some exercise.
When your mind feels stuck, it might be time to get moving. Exercise releases endorphins that work to relieve stress while tapping into the creative centers of the mind.
If you maintain a healthy body, you’ll create a healthier spirit that can lead you to better choices. Exercise improves cognitive functioning, which works to create better decision-making structures for the rest of the day.
You don’t need to go out for a daily jog or purchase an expensive gym membership to encourage more strategic decision-making opportunities. If you select a safe and fun sport, you’ll get to meet new people and try new things.
Everything from ballet to kickball is a possibility. Once you find something interesting, jump right in to see what happens!
Survey the landscape.
When you face a strategic decision, there are multiple paths forward to consider. How do you know which one to choose?
The decision-making process must include your priorities, realities, options, and the paths you can take.
What is your priority for this process? Do you want to earn more profits, expand into new markets, or create more repeat customers?
Once you have that information, think about your reality. What obstacles could prevent you from achieving those priorities?
After evaluating that information, you can examine the plausible options that take you down the best path forward.
Control the emotional response.
When you have a critical strategic decision to make, you’ll experience a greater emotional response to the situation.
It is up to you to take the opposite approach. That’s why a great exercise is to think through every choice rationally and logically.
When your family needs to choose a movie for your Saturday night together, what is the logical and rational film to select?
What restaurant makes the most sense, based on your budget and the eating preferences of the people joining you?
If you practice including these qualities in the smaller choices you make, it’ll be easier to assess them in the more significant decisions.
Learn how to say no.
When a choice comes along that aligns with your personal or professional goals, ask yourself about the worst-case scenario.
What is the worst possible thing that could happen if you say yes? What might you miss, should you say no?
We often want to say yes to everything because we want the benefits that come from that choice. If you start practicing how to evaluate the pros and cons before jumping into a decision, it’ll be easier to say no when it makes sense to do so.
What Can You Start Doing to Improve Your Decisions?
Instinct is not the same as logic or an emotional response to a decision. Your gut feelings might tell you to proceed one way, but it takes a diverse approach, using all the available information, to make an appropriate choice.
It often helps to develop a filtration system to categorize how you approach choices. Does the decision impact you positively, help with growth plans, or benefit others in your sphere of influence?
If so, proceed. If not, analyze the data further to see if it is worth proceeding.
By analyzing decisions from every side with all the information possible, you’ll find it much easier to make the right choices.
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