How To Make A Decision When Choosing Is Hard

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Write out your options, then list out the pros and cons of each. Then when you've done that, look at each option and ask yourself a few questions:

• Which options are most in line with what you want to do or where you're trying to go?
• Which ones actually aren't in line with your plans or intentions?
• Which ones have the most tolerable downsides?
• Which ones have the least tolerable downsides?

Try and find the option that balances out being in line with what you're trying to accomplish with minimal downsides, then go with it.

Compare options two at a time, and decide which one you like least. Compare two options against each other, then decide which one is least appealing. Repeat as necessary until you've whittled it down to one option.

Choose at random. If you find yourself in a situation where there's no clear winner, take advantage of a random choosing method. Depending on what you're doing, you might put ideas on pieces of paper and draw from a container, flip a coin, roll a die, or use a site like Pick At Random. It might even happen that when you do this, you'll realize which option you actually like best - if so, go with it!

Listen to your instinct/gut. If there's some tiny part of you telling you to go with a specific option and there's no real reason why you shouldn't, go with it. Your subconscious mind probably has a few good reasons why you should choose it, even if your conscious mind doesn't know what these reasons are right now.

Try not to think about the choices you didn't pick. Instead, focus on the here and now. Pay attention to the positive qualities of the choice you went with. If it ultimately doesn't work out and you decide you need something else, then you can look back at your other options. But until then, don't dwell on them.

Try not to fret over whether you picked "wrong." Odds are, you probably didn't. And even if you did, so what? It's not going to be the end of the world. If anything, trial-and-error is a natural part of human life. Mistakes are an important part of the learning process. Total perfection is an unrealistic, even impossible goal. Anyone who says it's wrong or unthinkable to make mistakes anywhere needs a hard reality check.

Remember, making choices is something that gets easier with practice and exercise. It can be hard at first to make a choice and commit to it - you might find yourself having apprehensions at first, or find that it's a struggle to actually put your choice into action. But the more you do it, the easier it'll get.