AptKeysMind · Making decisions
A pros-and-cons list that works
You'll need
- Paper or a notes app
- A quiet half hour
- One person you trust to talk it through with
What to know
- Name the decision in one sentence. UMass Dartmouth's decision guide says this first step is very important: define clearly what you have to decide.
- Gather information from inside and outside. Some of it comes from asking yourself what you want and value; some comes from websites, books and other people.
- List every option, not just two. As you collect information, more paths usually show up, and you can invent new ones or combine them.
- Pick the three to five things that matter most to you (pay, time, people, cost, stress) and give each a weight from 1 to 3. This scoring method is our rule of thumb, not a study; the point is to make your priorities visible.
- Play each option forward. Picture actually living with each choice all the way through, and ask whether it solves the problem you named in step 1.
- Run a pre-mortem on your top choice. Imagine it's later and the choice has failed, then write down every plausible reason why.
- Fix what the pre-mortem found. If the reason it fails is "the commute wore me down," check the bus route or test the drive at rush hour before you commit.
- Choose, and act. Your choice will often be the option at the top of your ranked list, and it can be a combination of options.
- Review it later. Check whether the decision solved the need you started with.
Watch out Pressure to decide on the spot is a red flag. Scammers want you to act before you have time to think, and the FTC says honest businesses will give you time to make a decision. Before you do anything, stop and talk to someone you trust.
Dad note Write it down. Decisions you only make in your head have a way of changing every time you think about them.