Some Easy Tips For Making Hard Decisions

A number of years ago, I came to a surprising observation:

a) I realized people need to make a lot of decisions (big and small)

b) For the most part, decisions get more difficult over time. (There are lots of decisions that simply go away, as you build process and patterns, but the ones you do have to make are harder)

Why is that? Why do decisions get harder?

Quite simply: There's what is known as "survivorship bias". Basically, the reason decisions you're trying to still make are so hard, is because you've already made the easy decisions -- what's left is the hard ones.

One of the things that I have joked about with fellow HubSpotters is precisely that. "We used up all the easy decisions in the first few years of the company. Now, all we have left is the really hard ones."

The Purpose Of Input Is To Improve The Output

It’s instinctive to seek input when you need to make a major, potentially life-changing decision. You want advice. You need advice.

And even if you’re the type who doesn’t naturally turn to others for their opinions, we’re trained to actively seek input, ask others to poke holes in our theories and logic, harness the power of the crowd….

The problem is that oftentimes seeking input leads to paralysis – or, almost as bad, a poor decision. Usually, making any decision (even a sub-optimal one) is better than making no decision at all. At least when you decide and act you’re doing something… and that means you can then work through the hurdles and challenges and move forward. If you never decide, you never act… and by definition you can never succeed.

Plus, seeking too much input doesn't favor the bold, creative actions -- the ones that really help you achieve breakout success. Say you’re trying to decide whether to quit your job and dive full-time into building a startup. Maybe it's a good move, maybe not. But almost certainly, if you talk to most people you know, they're going to advise you against it. Because, it's an outlier move and by definition the "average" person is not going to push you down that path.

The key is to turn making a major decision into a process. Instead of sleeping on a decision, or if it’s a huge decision, spending a lot of sleepless nights on it, take charge. Actively work through some simple steps.

Here are some simple ideas for making difficult decisions easier:

1. Decide to decide.

The first step is critical: promise yourself you will make a decision. Pick a date – even an arbitrary date. Give yourself four hours. Or give yourself four days. Pick a date that makes sense and stick to it.

But don’t give yourself too much time. Tough decisions are easy to put off. It’s easy to rationalize that you need to find more facts and crunch more data.

Much of the time deeper analysis doesn't yield better decisions – just slower ones.

1. Break a big decision into smaller, individual decisions.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when a decision has lots of variables and moving parts.

Say you’re deciding whether it makes sense to start a business; the factors involved – and decisions to make – can seem endless and therefore overwhelming. So break it down into manageable chunks. Where you’ll get your initial funds – and whether you really need startup capital – is one chunk. Location is another. How you’ll solve the problem you’ve identified is another.

As you work your way through smaller decisions you’ll often find the overriding decision makes itself.

And don’t be afraid to make a smaller decision instead of a life-changing one. Say you’re considering going back to school. You don’t have to quit your job and become a full-time student; you can always decide to take one or two classes and see how it goes.

The same is true if you’re a student and are trying to decide whether to drop out and start a business; you can stay in school and use nights and weekends to explore your passions. (In fact, I almost always tell students not to drop out to start up.)

1. Understand the true risk of a mistaken decision.

Is it expensive to later change your mind? (Often it’s not nearly as expensive as you think.)

If you make the wrong decision, is it irreversible? (Very few are.)

If not, the cost of waiting is often higher than the cost of making a mistake. (Besides, mistakes are inevitable; where decisions are concerned, the only thing that’s certain is that you will make mistakes. What defines us are not the mistakes we make but how we respond to those mistakes.)

Think about the worst that can happen. Decide what you will do if the worst does happen. Decide what you will do if lesser “worsts” happen.

And then decide whether your fears are realistic… or whether they’re just distracting you from making a decision.

1. If you plan to get feedback from others, first decide how you will weigh that in your mind.

Start by recognizing one simple truth: most feedback is based on opinion, not fact. “That sounds like an awesome idea!” is an opinion. The only way to know whether that feedback is valuable is to understand why the other person thinks your idea is awesome.

If you value someone else’s opinion, ask how she arrived at that opinion. Look for the data and reasoning behind the opinion – otherwise you’re likely to only listen to the opinions you already agree with.

1. Then factor in your own opinion – and your passion.

Data and reasoning are great, but data and reasoning only take you so far. Critical thinking tends to steer decisions towards the middle ground.

Should you risk it all and start that company? Opinions, advice, feedback, and counsel will tell you no – after all, what if you fail?

But what if you truly believe? What if your passion, your motivation, and your drive is so strong that you’ll work incredibly hard to ensure you don’t fail?

Then a crazy idea isn’t nearly so crazy. If you want to be different from other people, if you want to achieve differently than other people, the only opinion that really matters is your opinion.

People who do great things believe when those around them do not. Analyze, assess, evaluate… and make a decision. Sometimes that decision will be “no, and that’s okay – there are plenty of other great decisions out there to make.

Don’t be afraid – make them.

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Dharmesh Shah is the founder/CTO of HubSpot. Receive his articles automatically by clicking "follow" at the top of Dharmesh's LinkedIn Profile page.