Learning to Identify Key Decision-Making Factors

Every choice we make is based on our intrinsic decision-making factors, whether we are actively aware of them or not. Our intuition is simply the programming of what we have experienced in the past, relayed to us as a feeling. Some of us have been overthinking for so long that we no longer trust or recognize that feeling when it arises. So how can we learn to move forward?

As we look to make a decision, we should ask ourselves: “What is the most important thing in this choice?” Ideally, we want to have as few decision-making factors as possible, as they compound the more we try to consider at once.

For example, if we’re traveling and trying to decide what hotel to stay in, it’s a simple choice if we just want a place with a rooftop pool that’s within our budget. But if we start considering all possible factors—rooftop pool, budget-friendly, quiet area, close to public transport, included breakfast, laundry service—the list grows fast. All of these things are great, but when we compare endless hotel options against too many factors, we drown in the choices and struggle to decide.

It’s crucial to understand what actually matters to you as a person and build your decisions from that foundation. What are your values? What do you enjoy? How do you want to spend your time? What problems do you like solving?

You can’t control future outcomes or predict the unforeseen, but if you make decisions from an informed place of self, you can honestly say:

“I made the best decision I could based on what I knew about myself at the time.”

That mindset allows you to accept circumstances and move forward.