Decision Making

People often say that they find it hard to make decisions.

Unfortunately we all have to make decisions all the time, ranging from trivial issues like what to have for lunch, what to wear to work, right up to life-changing decisions like what to study, what kind of job, who to live with, where to live....

Some people put off making decisions by endlessly searching for more information or more clarity, and meanwhile maybe have the 'no decision' become a decision, or have the decision taken for them.

When I start with Calvin, I can't seem to stop :)

Anyways, not sure how cultural it is, but I think it's highly influenced by culture, atleast in India we know. Here, neither our parenting approach nor our education system really gear us for decision making, leave alone good decision making. 

Parents mostly just make the decisions for children, they largely don't think it's even required that children be involved in a family decision. Leave alone family decisions.....even decisions to do with the children themselves. 

I remember when Dhruva had his hair to shoulder length, and someone said to me that we should get it cut. I was like, 'he likes it, it's his hair, let him be.... and he won't let us anyways'. And they were like, 'what do you mean he won't let you, just take him and get it done'. A very typical attitude. 

Our education system...... just that bit worse. They don't even motivate or encourage any original thinking......it's mostly rote and reproduce that gets rewarded, so decision making never seems to come into the picture.

Quite naturally the outcome would be that as adults, we are ill equipped to take decision. And net net....most folks are happy letting decisions get taken for them, and most things are done...well because that's the way it's always been done. They seem to forget that they have a choice.

Maybe that’s why people who do make decisions will say, 'I’m a very determined person, once I make a decision, it's done, there’s no way I’m changing it'. And that’s something that's like a credit.... like a good thing. God knows how, but its stuff people are proud of. 

In this sphere, one thing which I learnt, again at Google......... a seemingly innocuous lesson, as simple as its sensible:

When you take a decision on Monday, and there's a factor that effects it on Tuesday, revisit your decision on Wednesday.