Life always gives us many options to choose from. And having so many decisions to make daily, it is becoming challenging to settle down with a decision and knowing if we are making the right move.

Being a business entrepreneur now, many decisions have to be made daily, and sometimes it is not easy to come up with a good one right away. There are so many factors that need to be considered, and a lot of opinions need to be taken.

I personally have a whole process for decision-making and I would love to share it with you, because I know it is a struggle for everyone.

1. Identify your goals

In my opinion, the most crucial step is identifying the purpose of making the decision by asking yourself two main questions:

“What exactly is the problem that you need to solve?”and “Why do you need to solve it?”

Whether in life or in business, we all need a purpose in order to fully and purely focus on what we aim to achieve.

Once you know the purpose of why you are doing this, it will definitely help you make better decisions. This is one of the most useful practices I’ve done in my life.

2. Gather relevant information

It is necessary to gather information before making any decision. This step usually involves internal and external work. Some people seek for internal information, others search for external information.

So what is internal and external information?

Internal information involves a lot of self-assessment, and is usually obtained by yourself from your experiences.

Another type of information that allows you more spaces and sources to search for is external information. This can be done through online research, reading books, asking for advice from friends and coaches.

Although, be careful with your sources of information. We are living in the most explosive days of the Internet, the information flow is massive and unfiltered. And so choosing the right information to take is very important.

Understanding your thought process as an introvert and extrovert is also very crucial.

3. Weighing your options

Once you have already gathered enough information, you probably already have a rough idea of your options, as well as have in mind which alternative is more likely to work.

The next thing you have to do is write down all the pros and cons in a piece of paper for each alternative. I like to write it all down, because you are more exposed to critical thinking when you write by hand rather than when you type. This practice will make it easier for you because you can see, reflect and think it through instead of having in your head.

4. Take action

We have been talking so much about what to do before making a decision, what to do to make the right decision, but we haven’t talked about what comes after when a decision is made.

You implement it.

By the time you get to this step, you would have already narrowed down your alternatives. And it’s just choosing which one works best for what you want to achieve. You can even be creative and combine the alternatives. But once you have decided, it is time to act on it already.

5. Reflect on your result

It’s important to reflect on the effectiveness of the choices you have made, see if the decisions meet your expectations or the outcome that you desired in the first place.

Reflection helps you to improve on what is coming next and learn from the experiences, as well as gives you a better idea of what to do next time you’re in the same situation again.

Remember that you’re not always going to make the best decision, because sometimes things happen. And it’s all about celebrating the mistake you have made, it’s about the knowledge that you have gained, and learn to take it as a positive and a “what-I-can-do-better” attitude.

The truth is no one is perfect, and no one would ever be. We are all unique and, most importantly, we all have our own different journey.

You got this. Good things always take time to come.

I hope my decision-making process could be one of many solutions for those out there who are looking for answers, or struggling with making decisions everyday.

Stay awesome,
Iris.