Making decisions is an unavoidable reality when running your own business. But most people underestimate just how much mental energy they devote to making decisions, big and small.
What most business owners miss is that on any given day, most of the decisions you make don’t need to be perfect. Most of the time, a decision just needs to be made.
Ultimately, if you expend all of your energy trying to make the perfect decision, rather than choosing and acting, you can burn yourself out, and your business will suffer.
Obviously, this is far easier said than done! But in our one hundred and fifty years of combined experience, we’ve learned a thing or two to help:
What To Do If You Can’t Decide
We’ve all been there: choosing between option A and option B feels impossible. You’ve weighed the pros and the cons – and they’ve come out practically equal.
So, how do you proceed? Which choice is the right choice?
Usually, there’s a very good reason why you can’t choose between A or B. And that: there is no right choice between A and B.
Your mind typically struggles to make a choice only when:
- Both options seem identical
- There is no clear winner
- You are missing key information that distinguishes one choice above the other
In this case, the only right choice is for you to make a decision as soon as possible and then commit to it.
These are the scenarios in which you will waste the most time picking between each option, when in reality, they will both be as good as each other. You’ll save yourself stress and your business valuable time by being decisive.
Iteration Beats A Perfect Start Every Time
On that note: stop trying to make the perfect choice for every decision. Realistically, each of our days are filled with hundreds of micro-decisions that don’t have a right decision.
The more you try to be right or perfect for every single decision, the less you can do in your day and the more exhausted you’ll become.
Instead, try to make the vast majority of your daily decisions with immediate decisiveness, remembering that there’s no perfect option waiting for you to work out.
This is because ninety per cent of the time, acting is followed by success. When it’s not, you can quickly pivot or reiterate in order to find success. But by taking hours and hours of procrastinating and deliberation, you won’t have the info you need to iterate.
Will This Decision Matter Five Years From Now?
Next time you’re dealing with a decision you just can’t choose between, try asking yourself: will the outcome of this decision matter in five years time?
You’ll quickly realise that the answer is almost always no. It helps to put your decisions into perspective and realise that most decisions don’t require your full deliberation.
On the other hand, it helps you identify which decisions really do matter and are the ones you should focus on.
Financial Success Doesn’t Have To Be Stressful
We get it: some decisions are impossible to “just” choose in the moment. Like what financial goals you want to achieve and how you’ll go about accomplishing them.
To help you start on the right path towards your best future as a business owner, we’re now offering a free meet and greet with our CEO, Annette.
With a chartered accountant by your side, you can make informed financial decisions without the stress and anxiety. Talk to our team today!