How do you know if you've made the right decision? How to make a decision when in doubt? Descartes Square for decision making, Jose Silva's "Glass of Water" method, and other proven, working methods. Getting information from others

Every day, a person is faced with situations that involve making some kind of decision, from choosing products to choosing a place to study or work. At the same time, for many people this is a real disaster, since there are many doubts and fear that the choice will be made incorrectly. In such a situation, information on how to make a decision, if in doubt, will be most welcome. Psychologists have long been interested in this topic, so they have developed several techniques that allow you to do everything right.

How to make the right decision in life?

There are many different factors that make a person suffer from doubts. For example, some people in difficult situations rely only on their experience and opinions, not taking advice from outside, while others tend to build some kind of illusion, which does not give them the opportunity to see reality.

Tips for making an important decision:

1. Expand your scope. In many situations, in addition to the standard yes / no answer, there are a huge number of other solutions. For example, when considering whether it is necessary, it may be worth talking to your superiors to correct annoying factors.
2. Get rid of emotions. When figuring out how to make a difficult decision, one cannot leave the emotional factor unattended, since it is he who often does not allow a person to soberly assess the situation and understand its essence, which ultimately leads to making the wrong decisions. Psychologists offer in such situations to answer the question: “What will I feel after making such a choice in five minutes, a few months or a year”
3. Use as much information as possible. Today, thanks to the Internet, you can find answers to almost any question. Many people write their reviews about products, services, places of recreation, and even about the enterprises they work for.
4. Weigh all the pros and cons. Many psychologists, when thinking about how to make an important decision in life, advise getting visual confirmation by making two lists. On one write possible prospects and advantages, and on the second - what you have to lose and the existing shortcomings. This will allow you to correctly prioritize and not make a mistake.
5. Be interested in other people's opinions. Here it is important to choose the right adviser and it is best to contact a person who is primarily competent in this area and has achieved some success. This will allow you to get rid of unnecessary arrogance and get

Our whole life is woven from the many decisions that we make every minute. It happens every second, and even unconsciously. At some moments we think about how to make a decision, at other times a decision is required only to perform some of the actions we are used to. But one way or another, in order to start doing something, you must first make a decision.

Did you know that there are a huge number of things, even life-changing things, that can be achieved by thinking about it for just one minute. Just 60 seconds of our time.

1 minute is a lot or a little?

Perhaps some of you will now smile and think to yourself that this does not happen. And that serious and businesslike people should weigh the pros and cons… Yes, I agree with that, although this is already happening after you have made the decision to act in this direction.

Let's say you've been thinking about changing jobs for a month. So, sometimes, after gossip with colleagues or meeting with a successful classmate who, in the same time as you, has achieved much more in his life. But then, this vague desire, under the onslaught of everyday and daily routine, completely disappears from your field of vision. And once again someday it will appear timidly and just as strangely disappear.

And just need to be distracted at such a moment from all other things, concentrate, ask yourself some serious questions and decide now and here: how badly I want to leave this job. Particularly doubters can draw on a piece of paper or in their imagination the well-known “pluses and minuses” (pluses are why I like and suit all this, minuses are all that is why I cannot continue to work here), determine what is more and quickly make a decision.

Yes, I know, I know. Now say that you will hurry, you will make people laugh. Yes, it happens. But you must clearly understand that almost any decision can be made in a minute. Almost any. It is clear that not all. Here, too, the mind must be included.

Well, here is such a non-trivial desire, how to become a millionaire, you see, can be accepted in a minute? No, I hear in the comments ... I bet you, just about this you can read in a very exciting and interesting book by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen "Millionaire in a Minute". A book about business, I think many will be interested in reading it. The authors assure that the decision to become a millionaire can be made in just a minute. Everything that follows is no longer relevant to the decision. Do you agree?

And in our rather common example of the desire to change jobs, there simply wasn’t that minute of time to stop for a minute and make the right decision. You know, I also had such life situations when the decision matured for a long time, but I did not dare to make the decision that I needed because of the large number of pluses. Until the moment when the minuses became more. Most likely, this is normal, but it is quite possible that if I had acted faster, I would not have missed so many opportunities.

The secret of successful people

Do you know the secret of successful people, and why they are much more effective in their lives than many of us? They just get more done in the same amount of time. And not just manage to do more, but manage to do more MAIN things. Here's a simple secret. If we agree with ourselves, and every day we do one main thing more than the previous one, I assure you, our personal effectiveness will increase many times over in a short time.

This means that the next day we will have to spend more than one minute making a decision, but two whole minutes, since we should also have not one, but two tasks. It is clear that no one forces us to bring it to infinity, yet all our affairs must first of all be brought to a logical result. But if it is reasonable to approach this moment, then the main things will appear regardless of our participation with enviable regularity.

Most importantly: how to make a decision

And here I will give some more interesting considerations on how to make a choice.

heads or tails

You are walking along the seashore and notice a bizarre bottle half sticking out of the sand.
You pick it up and open it.
A light mist comes out of the bottle, which turns into a fabulous genie.
Unlike other genies, this one does not offer to fulfill your three wishes.
He gives you the right to choose.
Option one:
You will get five extra years of life, provided that the life of another person, chosen at random, is reduced by five years.
Do you want to prolong your life on such terms?
Option two:
You can get twenty thousand dollars if you agree to get a tattoo the size of a dollar bill.
Will you take this money?
If so, where will you tattoo and what pattern will you choose?
Option three:
When you wake up tomorrow morning, you will be able to acquire a new quality or skill.
What will you choose?

Good test. And how many similar alternatives appear in our lives when you can’t decide what to do in this situation. Experts advise developing your own system for evaluating options, which is based on many factors: logic, reason, practical experience, emotions, feelings.

How actively we participate at the moment of decision-making depends on the level of our intellectual form. That is why it is so important to learn how to choose correctly. No wonder they say: "You are what you choose." By the way, this statement belongs to management consultant John Arnold. A well-aimed statement very quickly became an aphorism.

What needs to be done to make a decision?

Let's stop for a moment and learn the most important thing that will help us learn how to make the right decision:

1. These are common truths, my friends. I'm sure you all know this. In fact, you know all this, just don't apply it. The problem is just what needs to be done. And if you do unusual things, then this means that you need to get out of your comfort zone. Now this is uncomfortable. Truth? That's why We start and get out of our comfort zone.

If you don't know where you're going, it doesn't matter which path you take.
Brothers Karamazov, outstanding jugglers

3. We determine the parameters to which our goals must be aligned. This is not difficult. We ask ourselves three important questions.

What do I want to receive?

What do I want to avoid?

4. Looking for an alternative solution. We try to make our requirements, obtained by answering the questions listed above, generate alternative solutions themselves.

5. Evaluate and validate the chosen solution. Mathematics is king here. You will have to compare according to criteria, parameters, technical characteristics, degree of risk, size of resources, etc.

Quick decisions are wrong.
Sophocles, poet and playwright

He who thinks too much does little.
Johann Friedrich Schiller, poet and playwright

6. Introducing the consequences the decision we made. The most interesting point, in my opinion. It already depends on the power of our imagination. In no case at this stage do you need to consult with relatives, friends and neighbors. For them, you must always remain as you are. They will advise you...

7. Required we feel ourselves and our own intuition. We must try to choose the right option and make the right decision, that is, what we feel is right.

8. We make a decision and we are not afraid that we made the wrong choice. We also need mistakes, though not in large numbers. Mistakes are the experience that will later allow us to evaluate the decision made more quickly.

9. Once you have made a decision, you need to understand that will have to act in accordance with it.

I hear your indignant remarks: And all this can be done in a minute? Well, at first, it may not be possible to do it in a minute, but over time, the actions of our thought process will be brought to automatism, and making decisions will become much easier than now. And then, no one bothers you to develop your own decision-making methodology, I hope that you will definitely share it with us.

Make a decision in 1 minute

A lot can be done in one minute. You can just dream or regret. You can say "I'm quitting", you can say something important or let something important happen, thanks to your silence. You can decide who you want to live with, what you want to do, whether you like doing it. In one minute, you can determine your most important desire, and understand why it is worth living. In one minute you can read this article and find out how to make a decision.

Find those things, those tasks, those tasks to start with, that you can decide on in just 60 seconds. Just one minute of our time. Appreciate the time and do not do it in such a way that later you will regret the missed opportunities. Let's act faster!

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Tests "Management" for special. "Technology of mechanical engineering"

Option number 1

What character traits should such an archetype of a manager as an “administrator” have?

(BUT) Be sociable and be able to inspire people to the maximum dedication

(AT) Have an analytical mind

+(C) Be extremely objective and rely on facts and logic

(D) methodical work, forecasting the future

What are the main factors involved in Victor Vroom's model of motivation?

(BUT) The need for self-respect, self-assertion and belonging to a social group

(AT) The complexity and intensity of work and the level of remuneration

+(C) The expectation of the possibility of an outcome, the expectation of a possible reward from that outcome, and the expectation of the value of the reward

(D) hygiene factors, factors related to the nature and substance of the work

Leaders have real influence in managing by objectives

(BUT) Intermediate levels

(AT) lower level

(FROM) High, middle and low level

+(D) top level

Indicate what is typical for the Japanese company "Sony" in the relationship between managers and subordinates?

(BUT) If possible, it is desirable that a person stays in one workplace all his life, where he gains certain experience, which accordingly increases the efficiency of work.

+(V) Lack of differentiation in relation to people

(FROM) For successful work in the company, it is important which educational institution the employee graduated from and with what marks

(D) with all the positive qualities of freedom of discussion in a large company, it violates the mode of operation

How should we treat the accumulation of information about the problem?

(BUT) The more information the better

+(V) Too much information is just as bad as too little information.

(FROM) Obtaining maximum information about the problem is the responsibility of the manager

(D) Too much information is the key to success

Which of the human needs is the main one according to McClelland's theory of motivation?

+(A) Success

(AT) Money

(FROM) freedom

(D) safety

Basic control functions

(BUT) Planning, control

+(V) Planning, organization, motivation, control

(FROM) Organization, motivation

(D) organization, motivation, control

8. As an example of a multi-link technology (Thompson classification) can be:

+(A) Mass production assembly line

(AT) Banking

(FROM) Insurance

(D) network diagram

The limit of using automation is

(BUT) The limitations of our knowledge

(AT) Qualification level of service personnel

+(C) The impossibility of excluding unforeseen situations

(D) technical imperfection

What is a compromise in decision making?

(BUT) Establishing a certain average as a result of a dispute between two employees

+(V) Reducing benefits in one area in order to reduce undesirable consequences in another

(FROM) Making decisions in an auditive manner, taking into account the opinions of all stakeholders

(D) diminishing benefits

What is the “Sociotechnical system” of a high technology organization?

(BUT) General computerization of production

(AT) Development of the social sphere

(FROM) Professional growth of employees

+(D) integration of personnel and technology, delegation of responsibility for the final result

12. The purpose of planning the activities of the organization is

(BUT) Justification of costs

(AT) Timing justification

+(C) Definition of goals, forces and means

(D) substantiation of the number of employees

The main difference between an open system and a closed system is

(BUT) Lack of orderly interaction between individual subsystems

(AT) The presence of interaction of individual subsystems with the outside world

(FROM) Closure of system elements on themselves

+(D) the presence of interaction with the external environment

(BUT) Salary

(AT) Career

+(C) The work itself

(D) environment recognition

15. The main rule in determining the level of salary is:

(BUT) Legally defined minimum level

(AT) Scheduled rate

(FROM) The level of payment in firms competitors

+(D) absolutely accurate and objective determination of the nature of the labor invested and its comprehensive and impartial evaluation

Option number 2

The main thing in management by goals is the development of goals.

+(A) Top down the chain of command

(AT) Upwards

(FROM) Bottom up and top down

(D) by matrix scheme

Determine the main characteristics of the external environment for the organization

+(A) All of the above

(AT) Interconnection of factors, complexity

(FROM) Complexity and mobility

(D) interconnectedness and uncertainty

Why delegate their powers to other leaders?

+(A) For the optimal solution of a complex problem

(AT) To maintain a "group" style of work

(FROM) To test the qualifications of workers

(D) all of the above

Which of the following methods of distribution of responsibilities in the organization is adopted on a functional basis?

(BUT) Branches of the enterprise were created in five cities

+(V) Created departments for production, marketing, personnel, financial issues

(FROM) Workshops were created at the enterprise for the production of cookies, chocolates, caramel

(D) created departments at the enterprise, equal in number

Continuous manufacturing technology is commonly used in the production of products such as

(BUT) Production of passenger cars

(AT) Production of military aircraft

(FROM) Building level ships

+(D) oil refining, iron smelting

What kind of feedback is more important in terms of improving the effectiveness of communication?

(BUT) Positive

(AT) correlation

(FROM) indefinite

+(D) negative

What is the economic mechanism of management?

+(A) All of the above

(AT) Intracompany management, production management

(FROM) Personnel management, production management

(D) intracompany management, personnel management

Action planning is

(BUT) Creation of the next link between the goal setting and the program for its implementation

(AT) Clarification of roles

(FROM) Identification of the circumstances that must be taken into account in order to achieve the goal

(D) time estimate for each operation

9. From the listed managers: 1. General director and board members. 2. Heads of independent bodies. 3. Shop managers. Top management includes:

(BUT) 1, 2

(FROM) 1, 2, 3

Control-oriented behavior is

+(A) The actions of subordinates aimed at what management wants to see when checking their activities

(AT) Targeting low goals

(FROM) Using the fact that controllers do not know thoroughly the activities of employees subordinate to them

(D) goal orientation

What does it mean to "make a decision"?

(BUT) Enumerate all possible alternatives

(AT) Enumerate several alternatives that provide the most effective solutions to the problem

(FROM) Give an order to choose a possible alternative

+(D) give instructions for the implementation of a specific plan

There comes a time in everyone's life when they have to make a difficult decision. How to make the right decision when in doubt? What direction of study to choose? The partner with whom I am now will not disappoint me in the future, do I have love with him for life? Should I accept the offer or can I find a more interesting job? These are just some of the dilemmas most of us face.

The choice of what to buy - apples or pears, seems insignificant compared to decisions whose consequences can affect a lifetime. How can you be sure that you are making the right decisions? How to avoid internal dissonance, the impression that the option you gave up might be better than the one you chose? How to make difficult decisions?

Decision-making methods

Two decision-making strategies are mainly used - heuristics and algorithms. Thinking algorithmically, a person carefully studies and analyzes, compares the pros and cons of a particular option. Heuristics saves us time because it appeals to emotions, intuitions, preferences, internal beliefs, without "calculation".

It seems that in the case of a difficult choice, it is wiser to think things over carefully several times before making a final decision. Meanwhile, people are very often guided by their hearts rather than their minds - even in the case of making decisions that affect their entire life (for example, when choosing a life partner). How to understand what is best for us in this situation?

Depending on the rank of the problem, a person usually uses from 1 to 3 decision-making strategies. What methods are used in making life choices?

1. Obtaining information from others

When you do not know what to decide on, you often use the support of loved ones, friends, family. You consult, looking for additional information. If you need to make a difficult decision, you should consult with others, ask what they would do in a similar situation. Brainstorming, exchanging views with others helps to look at the problem from a new point of view.

2. Postponing a decision in time

If no one and nothing helps, take your time with the choice, give yourself time. You may temporarily not feel strong enough to make decisions that could affect your entire life. Postponing a decision until later can be a good idea, because during this time new facts may be discovered that will help make a choice. But it is important not to put it off indefinitely, in the end you need to decide.

3. Eliminate the worst options

When you have several different options and you don't know which one to prefer, make a choice, eliminating what seems to be the worst and least interesting. At the end of such a screening, there will be a better alternative.

4. Choosing the lesser evil

The choice is not always between good-better or good-worse: you have to choose between two not the most attractive options. How do you choose between two equally unpleasant alternatives?

You need to choose something that carries fewer potentially negative consequences, and come to terms with the decision. There are things that we simply cannot influence. Therefore, sometimes it is easier to accept the need to make a decision with bad consequences than to make such a choice.

5. Before you choose, analyze

This is a strategy related to algorithmic thinking. List the pros and cons of each of the alternatives and choose the one that has more positive consequences. In other words, a balance is drawn up of the gains and losses associated with choosing one option and rejecting the other. However, such a cold calculation is not always possible, because sometimes emotions take precedence over reason.

6. Act on the spur of the moment

Sometimes there is neither time nor opportunity to consider the proposals received for a long time. Then you need to make a decision spontaneously, immediately, on a hot hand. In this case, it is better to trust your instinct, inner voice. Not always, guided by emotions, we act recklessly. In retrospect, this turns out to be the right decision, so trust yourself and your intuition.

7. Descartes square

One of the most effective and simple ways to make a difficult decision. You are invited to analyze any situation or problem from different points of view. To make the right decision, answer four questions by looking at the figure below.

Be careful when answering the fourth question, because your brain will try to ignore the double negative and try to answer like the first one. Don't let this happen!

Why is this method so effective? When you are in a situation that requires you to make a difficult decision, you often get stuck at the first point - what happens if that happens? However, Descartes' square allows us to look at the problem in many ways and make a carefully considered and informed choice.

8. PMI Method

How to effectively make difficult decisions? You can use the Edward de Bono method - the PMI method. This abbreviation is a derivative of English words (plus, minus, interesting). The method is very simple. It is based on the fact that before a decision is made, it is comprehensively evaluated. A table is drawn on a sheet of paper with three columns (pluses, minuses, interesting), and arguments for and against are indicated in each of the columns. In the “interesting” column, everything is written that is not good and not bad, but at the same time connected with the decision.

Below is an example. Decision: whether to rent an apartment on the outskirts with a friend?

When this table is drawn up, a scoring is made for each of the arguments in accordance with the direction (arguments for are indicated by a plus, against - by a minus). For example, for some, more space is more important than pleasant company. At the end, the value of all arguments is summed up and it is determined whether the balance will be positive or negative.

The PMI method cannot be called innovative, it is not fundamentally different from how we make decisions in everyday life. He seems to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a given choice. Nothing is further from the truth. Most of us, when making a decision, actually take it for ourselves from the very beginning and then select the arguments that would justify our choice. Even if it turns out that the decision we made has 3 more minuses, we will still choose it. People are actually not very rational, guided more by personal preferences, taste, etc. Pros and cons on a sheet of paper will allow for an accurate analysis, at least with a partial disconnection of emotions.

People are very often afraid of the consequences of their choices and do not like to make decisions. They would willingly shift the responsibility for their lives onto other people. Unfortunately, if we want to be happy, we must learn to solve our own problems and bear the burden of life's choices. There is no guarantee that others would do it better for us. We will never know if the options we ignored are better than the ones we chose, so don't weep over spilled milk and constantly regret the positives of rejected alternatives. Constantly lasting dissonance kills us morally.

When people share the worst decisions they have made in their lives, they often refer to the fact that the choice was made in a fit of instinctive emotions: passion, fear, greed.

Our life would be completely different if Ctrl + Z were active in life, which would cancel the decisions made.

But we are not slaves of our mood. Instinctive emotions tend to become dull or completely disappear. Therefore, folk wisdom recommends that in the case when an important decision needs to be made, it is better to go to sleep. Good advice, by the way. It won't hurt to take note! Although for many solutions one sleep is not enough. We need a specific strategy.

One of the effective tools that we would like to offer you is strategy for success at work and in life from Susie Welch(Suzy Welch) - former editor-in-chief of the Harvard Business Review, popular author, television commentator and journalist. It is called 10/10/10 and involves making decisions through the prism of three different time frames:

• How will you feel about it 10 minutes later?
• What will you think about this decision after 10 months?
• What will be your reaction to this in 10 years?

By focusing our attention on these deadlines, we distance ourselves some distance from the problem of our making an important decision.

Now let's look at the effect of this rule on an example.

Situation: Veronica has a boyfriend Cyril. They have been dating for 9 months, but their relationship can hardly be called ideal. Veronika claims that Kirill is a wonderful person, and in many ways he is exactly who she has been looking for throughout her life. However, she is very worried that their relationship is not moving forward. She is 30, she wants a family and. She does not have an endless amount of time to develop a relationship with Kirill, who is under 40. During these 9 months, she never met Cyril's daughter from her first marriage, and in their pair the cherished "I love you" never sounded from either side.

The divorce from his wife was terrible. After that, Cyril decided to avoid a serious relationship. In addition, he keeps his daughter away from his personal life. Veronica understands that he is in pain, but she is also offended that such an important part of her beloved's life is closed to her.

Veronica knows that Cyril does not like to rush into decisions. But should she, in this case, herself take a step and say “I love you” first?

The girl was advised to use the 10/10/10 rule, and this is what came of it. Veronica was asked to imagine that right now she has to decide whether she confesses her love to Cyril on the weekend or not.

Question 1: How will you react to this decision after 10 minutes?

Answer:“I think I would be worried, but at the same time proud of myself that I took a chance and said it first.”

Question 2: What would you think of your decision if 10 months had passed?

Answer:“I don't think I'll regret it 10 months later. No, I will not. I sincerely want everything to work out. Who does not take risks, then does not drink champagne!

Question 3: How do you feel about your decision 10 years later?

Answer:“Regardless of how Cyril reacts, in 10 years the decision to declare love first is unlikely to matter. By that time, either we'll be happy together, or I'll be in a relationship with someone else."

Notice the 10/10/10 rule works! As a result, we have quite a simple solution:

Veronica has to take the lead. She will be proud of herself if she does this, and sincerely believes that she will not regret what she did, even if nothing works out with Cyril in the end. But without a conscious analysis of the situation according to the 10/10/10 rule, making an important decision seemed extremely difficult for her. Short-term emotions—fear, nervousness, and fear of rejection—were distractions and deterrents.

What happened to Veronica after, you might ask. She did say "I love you" first. In addition, she tried to do everything to change the situation, and stop feeling in limbo. Cyril did not confess his love to her. But progress was on the face: he became closer to Veronica. The girl believes that he loves her, that he just needs a little more time to overcome his own and confess the reciprocity of feelings. In her opinion, the chances that they will be together are up to 80%.

Eventually

The 10/10/10 rule helps you win on the emotional side of the game. The feelings that you are experiencing now, at this moment, seem rich and sharp, and the future, on the contrary, is vague. Therefore, the emotions experienced in the present are always in the foreground.

The 10/10/10 strategy forces you to change your angle of view: to consider a moment in the future (for example, in 10 months) from the same point of view that you are looking at in the present.

This method allows you to put your short-term emotions into perspective. It's not that you should ignore them. Often they even help you get what you want in a given situation. But you must not let your emotions get the better of you.

It is necessary to remember the contrast of emotions not only in life, but also at work. For example, if you deliberately avoid having a serious conversation with your boss, you are letting your emotions get the best of you. If you imagine the possibility of having a conversation, then after 10 minutes you will be just as nervous, and after 10 months - will you be glad that you decided to have this conversation? Breathe easy? Or will you feel proud?

But what if you want to reward the work of a great employee and are going to offer him a promotion: will you doubt the correctness of your decision in 10 minutes, will you regret what you did 10 months later (suddenly other employees will feel left out), and will it Will the promotion make any difference to your business 10 years from now?

As you can see short-term emotions are not always harmful. The 10/10/10 rule suggests that looking at emotions in the long run is not the only correct one. It only proves that the short-term feelings you experience cannot be at the head of the table when you make important and responsible decisions.