Most of us, when we make up our minds, set out immediately to validate what we think we “know,” says Dr. Ellis. As time goes on, we find more and more “proof” that our assumptions are correct because all we’re looking for is that proof. :But we tend to learn more by trying to [...]
The old advice “Sleep on it” makes a lot of sense. Your opinions will be more valuable if you harvest them after allowing them time to ripen. Your vision become clearer over time about decisions and judgments you need to make.
There’s a good reason for this. “We’re heavily influenced by recency,” says Donald A. [...]
When time allow, it’s a good idea to consult with other people before making important decisions. There are just too many things in this world that are too big for any one person to examine alone.
But whose opinion do you ask? You could go to your best friend or someone else with whom you [...]
A big decision can be like an enormous chunk of steak. Try to swallow it without first cutting it up, and you risk choking. So says Paul Slovic, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Oregon and president of Decision Research, a nonprofit research institute in Eugene, who recommends a technique he calls “incrementalism.” [...]
While in the midst of trying to make a decision, any decision, listen to your inner self. Do you hear a cranky little voice inside saying, “I must have this I must I must I must!” People are born with a tendency to take their important desires and turn them into “musts,” says Dr. Ellis.
The [...]
Whatever decision is looming before you, you want to make the best one. You’ve already gathered all the information and searched hard to come up with many different avenues. Now it’s rating time.
The best way to do it, say the experts, is to grab paper and pen and put together a list of all of [...]
The tough part about separating your emotions from your reasoning is that there are lots of people out there who’d rather you remain emotional-like the boss or spouse who uses emotion-inciting ploys to get you to do something you don’t want to do. To prevent yourself from being lured into making bad decisions, it’s important [...]
Imagine what was going through Captain Haynes’s mind when he found himself in the cockpit of a crippled plane with the lives of nearly 300 people depending on his judgment. Did he wring his hands? Did he visualize the flaming destruction that could have been moments away?
Of course not. If he had, there’d be no [...]
Take the job/don’t take the job. Can’t decide? What about other choices? In just about any given situation, a little thinking turns up more options you could take. But if you’re like most, you never seek out all those choices. It’s easy to get forced into anxiety-ridden “either/or” situations.
One way you may be limiting your [...]
Before you can make a good decision, you have to assemble all the facts-not just the obvious stuff, but everything you can get your hands on. Although Captain Haynes’s time was extremely limited, he had to gather certain information before he could choose a course of action. How much damage had the explosion caused? Which [...]