Read This If You’re Someone Who Finds Making Decisions Impossible

The ability to make choices seems so easy for some, doesn’t it? A snap decision between A or B, a gentle waft of forethought, a sober smattering of afterthought and next to no procrastination along the way.

However, for some, being presented with an abundance of choices can be overwhelmingly debilitating. I can’t even count the amount of time I’ve lost to wandering a supermarket aisle trying to choose between items with little or no immediately apparent differences.

Of course, the drawback of indecision is everything takes so sodding long. And somewhat like my knackered old laptop, as soon as my brain reaches information overload (which it does pretty rapidly), it just shuts down and renders me into a gormless mess.

As a responsible adult, I researched ways to combat my inability to make even the simplest of decisions easily, which in itself presented a problem. I now have at my disposal a myriad of ways to tackle my indecision, but which of the buggers to choose to experiment with first?.

The problem is for people who struggle to make decisions, all decisions can become equal and it becomes all but impossible to prioritize anything. But there are some nifty, little tricks you could use to make the decision-making process less prolonged and agonizing.

1. Try and become more aware of when your indecision is kicking in.

Once we get lost in the process of overthinking, anxiety shows its face and we’re lost in the same cycle of indecision and self-doubt. Take a step back, slow down and try and determine whether the thing you’re procrastinating over actually deserves any mind space right now.

2. Get it onto paper.

Do a brain dump and then see what things actually need to get done and in which order. You could even give them a loose time limit so you don’t end up dragging them out.

3. Don’t be so quick to mistrust your gut.

We who lack the wherewithal to make a decision quickly sometimes mistrust our instincts, but developing even just a little bit of confidence in our own decision-making skills can make a substantial difference.

Honestly, my inability to make decisions affects me far less than it does the people around me, which is why I don’t feel any great impulse to change my indecisive ways. But, if I do attempt the seemingly impossible and manage to make any sort of sensible choice within a reasonable time frame, I’ll be sure to let you know.

You can follow Katie’s journey on Katie McGovern.