How to manage indecision and improve your decision-making

What is indecision and how does it present itself?

Indecision is the persistent difficulty choosing between reasonable options. It is not mental laziness: it arises when the brain tries to improve under pressure, in an environment of uncertainty, to protect itself from losses and maintain a competent self-image.

Making a decision has a cost (time, effort and risk). When this cost is perceived to be high, the warning system - biased by loss aversion - delays the choice.

Modern life offers many alternatives and a lot of information. This excess of options increases comparison and fuels the anticipation of regret, leading to further analysis that causes anxiety and procrastination.

How to identify your own indecisiveness patterns

1. Decision record: For one week, write down three postponed decisions (context, dominant emotion, automatic thought, and cost of delay).
   You will see repeated triggers (e.g. fear of making a mistake when there is public visibility).
2. Map out “reversible vs. irreversible decisions”: label each decision as a “two-way door” (reversible) or a “one-way door” (difficult to go back). The majority are reversible: detecting them reduces paralysis.
3. Somatic signals: notice when your body blocks you (neck tension, shortness of breath). There are usually accompanied by negative thoughts (“if I fail, everything is ruined”).
4. Brief self-assessment: Do I look for the perfect option? Do I seek more data t alleviate anxiety rather than to improve the quality of the choice? Do I avoid it for fear of judgement? Your yeses are levers of change.

Main causes of struggling to make decisions

• Perfectionism/maximisation: only choosing the “optimal” solution, as if it actually existed.
• Inability to tolerate uncertainty: need for guarantees and certainties when acting, which causes anticipation and anxiety and results in cognitive blockages.
• Aversion to loss and regret: the aim is to avoid mistakes to achieve success. No other option is considered, polarising the outcome.
• Information overload: too much information without hierarchy or criteria, rendering the analysis worthless due to cognitive blockage.
• Decision-making fatigue: after many choices, control energy decreases and avoided or impulsive decisions increase.
• Low self-efficacy and fear of social evaluation: doubting one's own abilities and fearing external judgement or the need for external approval.
• Strategic procrastination: postponing to relieve short-term anxiety, at the cost of more stress and worse results, without achieving a clear solution to the problem.

Effective strategies for managing indecision

• Define the criterion adequately: set 3-5 essential requirements and 2 desirable ones. When an option meets the essential requirements, make a decision. This will increase speed without sacrificing quality.
• Time‑boxing of the analysis: Set a list (e.g. 45-90 minutes) and a list of Sources. After this time, you choose from what is available. Avoid the infinite research loop. There are no certain answers or perfect decisions.
• 10/10/10 rule: how will i feel about this decision in 10 days, 10 months and 10 years? Add perspective and reduce the weight of the immediate regret.
• Pre-mortem and “what if” plan: imagine that the decision turns out badly; list three risks and how to mitigate them. Consider the threat you are assuming. Convert fears into concreate actions (if plan A fails, activate B).
• Gradual exposure to uncertainty: practice
  quick and reversible micro decisions on a daily basis (restaurant, route, small task). This will increase your tolerance to making decisions without full guarantees.
• Value-impact matrix: assess each option based on your values (0 to 10) and the expected impact (0 to 10). Making decisions based on values reduced rumination.
• Actively reduce options: set a limit of three finalists; more than five affects clarity.
• Decisional hygiene: make decisions about important matters after rest, with stable glucose levels and without multitasking. Decision fatigue is real.
• Diary of decisions: record what you decide, what you expect and the outcome. On reviewing it, you will see that most "good" decisions did not require perfection, only consistency and action.
• Ask for contrast, not permission: consult someone who understands your context to question assumptions, not to get approval. Avoid depending on other people's opinions.