Decisions decisions. Chicken, fish. Comic Sans or Times New Roman. Whether to quit a job, or go on a diet. How to fix a manuscript. Whether to steer your business in one direction or another.
We make them all day. Some days however we remake the same decision over and over again, all day long. The decision is so important we don’t want to get it wrong.
So how do we end this limbo and land where we want – in the right place – and move on from there. How do we know we can decide yes or no, and never look back? Well, here’s where a lot of people would talk about willpower, discipline and commitment. And force will work, sometimes, and for some people. For me, not so much. I have an inner rebel that will not stand for such things as NEW DECISIONS – often proclaimed in one’s journal, or written on a post-it note where it can be seen. If you tell me to jump, I don’t ask “how high?” I jump on you! It’s not me, it’s my inner rebel. She’s a scalliwag.
So how to make decisions when force is counter effective? That’s the question. A time-honored method is to avoid the decision – ruminate – watch TV – walk – sleep on it. And all of those work to some degree. Your mind continues to work on problems as you do other things. (Especially sleep.) But they can’t be counted on to work. And how long should you let the decision slide? Not making a decision is in effect making the decision. You lose opportunities, focus, and forget the decision needed making, until, uh-oh, I still need to decide that. I’m stuck again.
I have a timely and reliable decision making method to share with you, called POINt – an acronym for Pluses, Opportunities, Issues and New thinking (developed by Miller, Vehar, Firestien 2004). It is a praise-first approach to assessing the value of an idea, and can be used to compare two ideas.
P = Pluses
O = Opportunity
I = Issues
Nt = New thinking
The important thing is that you approach each option looking for its positive aspects first. The human brain is not wired to praise first. It is wired to criticize first. Thinking critically, finding fault is hardwired in order to protect our chances of survival. If you doubt, you’ll work harder. Or so the evolutionary logic goes. In actuality, research shows we all work better, and have better creative engagement in a praise condition. In fact, whenever criticism is spoken, it takes four more praise utterances to bring the receiver back to equanimity. It takes eight more praise statements to inspire and motivate that same recipient of the criticism. Imagine how you feel about your options when your brain leaps to criticism first, and then there just isn’t enough positvity in the world to reseat that option – much less make it feel inspiring and motivating. Make it feel like the right decision.
POINt is a disciplined approach to evaluation that works with your brain to permit actual evaluation – including criticism and improvement – to come to light, and leave you feeling confident and calm about the choice you’ve made.
Try this:
Take your two (or more) choices and run them each through this process
- PLUSES – Praise and admiration – when uttered spontaneously – are breakthrough thinking. This is why they are so well received. They go against what we expect. First you list the idea’s positives – what’s good about this idea?
Finish this sentence at least 10 times: It will… - OPPORTUNITIES – Then you list the opportunities – everything that might happen if the idea is enacted.
Finish this sentence at least 10 times: It might… - ISSUES – Now that you’ve praised first, your brains – yours and the brain of any person you’re working with, if any – are upshifted. You’re thinking with your neo-cortex and not your reptilian brain. You’ve literally infused the problem solving part of your brain with energy and activity. Now is a good time to broach the issues you have with the idea. List them out.
Finish this sentence with as many issues as you need: How to… - NEW THINKING – Okay, bring some new thinking – brainstorm some improvements or fixes to each of the issues you listed above.
List a bunch of ideas that might solve the problems, and then pick the right fixes.
If you’ve run both your options through this thoughtful and creative process, it becomes much easier to settle on the right choice for you. You get beyond the issues that often derail your decision-making, and you’ve managed to see each option in its greatest possible light, for now and your future.
Hope vs. Fear
Lastly, as your opportunities and issues appear on the page, if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll be able to see if the options come from a place of fear or hope. When in doubt lean toward hope. If you really couldn’t do it (as you fear you can’t) it wouldn’t even present itself as an option for you. This lovely tool helps you troubleshoot hope, and keep ahead of fear.
In the meantime, you can learn more tools in the free Master Classes that are part of the Write Without the Fight Club – a paid monthly membership. The Club is a treasure trove of programs about how to activate and maximize your creativity – and these four courses are free. So join us in the Clubhouse. Be my guest.