I have a series of early starts at work this week, meaning rising in darkness this morning to the sound of howling wind and rain battering the bedroom window. Thankfully I’m driving to the office so no need to stand, exposed to the elements, on a train platform. If I time it right I should be seated at my desk, bright eyed and bushy tailed, well before the majority of my fellow co-workers. The early bird catches the worm and all that.
Getting into work before others has its benefits. I’m ahead of the game and can get so much more done before phones start ringing and conversations commence about what you got up to at the weekend. E-mails can be answered, reports drafted, but most importantly it gives me time to think. Work on strategies, mull over tricky problems and wrestle with decisions that only I can make.
I probably achieve more in that first golden hour than I do in the rest of the day. I’m not a natural decision maker but the nature of my job now means the buck stops with me and I have to make them. Regularly. The same goes for documenting those decisions as, down the line, the rationale for what I did and why I did it may be subject to serious scrutiny. So that quiet time at the start of a working day is precious to me.
Have you a big decision to make today? How do you go about tackling it? Do you jump in feet first and grab the bull by the horns or adopt a more cautious, measured approach? Is it related to work or your personal life? I was once told there are three things that can happen in such a setting. The best outcome is you make the right decision, the next best you make the wrong one, but the worst is you make no decision at all.
I wish you well with your decision today. Feel free to share your experiences by commenting below.
Black Thoughts 
I feel like I’m bad at making decisions! Maybe because I’m afraid of the consequences…..
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I think we can all share your dilemma. Just keep being kind to yourself & others.
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Yes! Kindness makes all the difference 🙂
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Sometimes I just flip a coin.
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As good a way as any 😊
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I struggle sometimes. I use the 5 second rule by Mel Robbins. Correct what doesnt work.
There are three questions to answer along the way.
Can i do it?
Will it work?
Is it worth it?
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Simple but effective technique. Thank you for sharing it with us.
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You are welcome.
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Excellent!
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I use the die method – depending on the number of options, I roll a die with that many sides. If I’m disappointed that “2” came up (chicken) instead of “3” (salad) I have my answer. I also go with “What’s the worst that could happen” a fair amount. I miss the bus, I’m late to class. Is it the end of the world? No. Perspective is everything.
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Sounds a bit Kirkwood Scott to me 😉
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If I can put it off I do. The hardest decision is to get busy.
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I have no problem making decisions, it was part of my job and expected that I would make them quickly and correctly, I’ve just carried that over to my personal life.
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Great question! I think my decision-making skills are somewhat flawed. The trap I regularly fell into (back in the working days) was failing to factor in all of the variables. Nowadays, in retirement, the hardest decisions are, “Should I mow the grass today, or can it wait until tomorrow?”
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Tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow 😂
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Sometimes the best decisions are made by choosing “heads” or “tails.” I chose the gender of a supporting character in my fiction story with the flip of a coin earlier. True story. It’s female, btw.
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There are worse ways to make a decision. Thank you.
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I love the last line when you say the worst decision is not making one at all. So true!
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Thank you 😊
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Early is definitely better…those hours of quiet in the morning can be so productive. I used to dither about decision making, but now tend to go with common sense and experience and JUST DO IT. I don’t have time to waste! And most of the time things turn out fine.
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That’s a sensible attitude to adopt.
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