Decision making is at the heart of all the incredible change that happens in our worlds, it’s at the core of leadership in business and in your life. So how do you start becoming a Master Decision Maker?

To be clear, regardless of whether you acknowledge it or not, you are making hundreds of decisions each day! Eggs or smoothie? Go to the gym or not? Wide leg pants or fitted? Left or right? And that is where the problem lies. We spend so much energy making tiny insignificant decisions all day (routine & transactional) that when it comes to the real decisions that matter we can start to feel fatigued.

I’m talking about the big ones, the life changing ones, how do we become better at the deal breaker decisions?

Types of decisions

Like everything in life, not all decisions are equal, they require different energy, attention and people. Decisions can be broken up into 6 different types;

1. Routine & Transactional (daily)
2. Personal (only affects you)
3. Home (it impacts everyone in my home)
4. Career (this is for you)
5. Business (the business & the team)
6. Emotional (you and those that get your joy and wrath!)

Understanding each one of these types allows you to make decisions more quickly and also know when you can make them on your own. They all require a different level of time and thinking. Let’s go through them with tips on how to navigate each one.

Routine Decisions

 The first set of decisions are routine and transactional. They are the ones firing at us throughout the whole day; Salad or sandwich? Call or text? Red or blue? These are the ones that we should be making quickly and not overthinking. If you are someone who is stuck in a loop you may find that these little ones are the ones taking up lots of your time. If you spend your time and energy on these, you’ll lose the space to start making decisions like a Boss. Try these suggestions on for size. 

• Will you take calls from friends/family while you’re working? Decide now. This one sounds like a simple one but making this decision now will save you plenty of back and forth wondering if you should - and then regretting that you did! When I’m on a creative flow, it can all wait, I want to lap up every minute of creating.
• Plan your work wardrobe. Don’t let this consume your time each day, lock in an outfit for each day, trust me no-one will notice a thing, if they do they will be impressed with your efficiency! Maybe Monday coloured dresses, Tuesday wide leg pants, Wednesday wrap dresses etc.
• Plan your dinner routine with a set day too. Monday Pasta, Tuesday Tacos, Wednesday Pizza etc. This way you know you always have the ingredients and the family knows what to expect, this one really is quite a game changer.
• Eat the same thing for lunch each day at work with maybe throwing in one day a week where you order in, the same day!! Another decision made.
• Lock in your exercise routine. Find the classes you love and rinse and repeat.  

Personal Decisions

These are for you and a good reminder that some decisions need to be for you and you alone.

Your body, your choice. Your health, your choice. Your hair, your choice! Of course you may want to see what your nearest and dearest think but will their response help or hinder you?

If you’re hubby loves your long hair and you want to cut it short, remember it’s your hair!! Even though he may think it’s what he loves, he’s probably just happy with you not changing, is that what you want? Maybe this change will help kick start you changing the way you feel and isn’t that the most sexiest thing ever?

This year I decided I wanted to try botox. Leaving my business had me seriously shaking in my confidence and I thought that looking 5 years younger would shift it. I spoke to Jeff about it before I did it, I knew he was against it and his reasons were spot on, but this was something I needed to do for me. It was kind of part of me saying I’m making the decision. Was it a once off? Yes. Would I do it again? Who knows. But I do know that I’m glad I made the decision for me and I didn’t dwell or loop on it.

Home Decisions

This one is different, this is a group decision and one that you don’t get to make on your own, it affects everyone in your home. This type of decision covers anything that will impact or greatly change your home environment. If you are living on your own, make sure you take your furry ones into consideration too! Funnily, this can range from moving the furniture, changing the colours of the walls or having someone move in.

I am a big believer that our homes should be our havens, our one place to feel absolutely safe and secure. I know for many people this isn’t the case and I plan to make it part of my mission to change this, more to come on this soon ❤️

Slow down on these decisions, they require open conversations with a need to understand where everyone is coming from. It can be hard to have talks about a change in the home environment with kids but it’s so important! When we moved into our beautiful new home, I thought my son, Ari 9, would be ecstatic but he was devastated to leave the home where he was a baby. It meant he didn’t want to be there on the day of moving and he wanted to come into the house slowly and that was ok. Once I knew, we could navigate it together.

Career Decisions

This is very different to business, this is about your personal role and your own trajectory, working for someone else or within your own business. Of course there may be financial implications on your family but if you don’t follow what sparks joy for you, no amount of money will make up for the dimming of you.

Do you know what you want? Do you know what gets you excited?

This is the space where you need to step it up and get responsible. How you show up is up to you and you need to do the work to find out.

• Know the difference between what you are good at and what you love
• Know your gaps - if you want a particular role, do you have all the required skills?
• Start working out how to get there - the pace is up to you but without a vision and a plan it is simply a waste of energy!

Business Decisions

Many of your day to day decisions in your business will be routine and transactional but here I'm talking about the big ones. Moving premises, hiring staff, setting values and vision, taking out a loan. Even while you are a solopreneur this requires more considered thinking. It may be just you right now but is it your plan to grow? What and who else does this affect?

My hot tip here is to imagine your business in 3 years time.

Close your eyes and think about the impact.

Are you thinking small and safe or bold and brave?

Emotional Decisions

These are up to you, but if like me you have your special crew who get to benefit from when you’re happy and hide when you’ve turned into a crazy lady, it can be best to really tune in and give yourself time for these. Make sure you are guided by your intuition and not your ego.

When I decided this year to leave my business, my baby, my identity, it was the biggest decision I’ve made in a long time. Yes, it was a career and business decision, but ultimately it was an emotional one, I wasn’t happy, it was becoming a space of constant stress. It was a decision I made on my own.

The message came in so clearly. My intuition spoke so softly yet so clearly.

“It’s time.”

This decision was for me and I know that how I show up matters ❤️

Recognise when a multi level decision comes in, what type is at the base of it?

Know yourself for best decision making

I am such a big believer in the 6 ps - Prior Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performance. I know there are more polite ways of putting this statement but this one says it clearly to me! Knowing yourself is the very best way that you can become a Master Decision Maker.

Take the time to know how you feel about things.

Know when a decision is about more than just you. Know when it is ONLY about you.

Take the time to know when your body is saying hell yes or f@*! No.

Listen.

Believe that you are a brilliant decision maker.

Decide to be a decision maker.

You’ve got this.

Action Steps

So, what is one thing that you can make a decision on this week? Is there a system you can put in place for your routine decisions?

It might be huge or tiny, you get to choose your own adventure

But make sure it’s an action fuelled decision and not a thought.

The difference between good and great is action!

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I hope you enjoyed this week’s Tuesday Tips. The greatest gift you could give me and my business is sharing this content with someone who you think might appreciate it. Thank you in advance, I really appreciate it ❤️

See you next week!