How To Create More Time By Making Powerful Decisions

Day 2: Decision Making

Today I want to share an interview that I did with Meghan of The Quad Fitness. (Click the image above to listen in!)

We talked about how to reclaim some of your time by making strong decisions.

There are three things to keep in mind when making a big decision.

1) There is no such thing as a “right” decision. Make a decision and then decide to make it “right”.

2) Ask yourself “Do I like my reason?” If you like the reason that you’re making a decision, that’s all that really matters.

3) Don’t wait until the last minute. Make high quality decisions by using your “thinking” brain and deciding ahead of time.

I’d love for you to watch the video and tell me what you think!

Be sure to follow The Quad on Youtube, where they offer a wealth of information on health and fitness.

~Shaun

If you would like to start making powerful decisions for yourself, book a 45 minute consultation with me and let’s find out where you’re at and how this work might apply to you.

How to Stop Being Indecisive: The Magic Art of Making More Time

Day 1: Indecision

How decisive are you?

Answer that question right now in your mind.

Most of the time, when it comes to making a decision I hear people say:

• I don't know what I want.

• I'm not sure what to do.

• It's hard for me to choose. It doesn't really matter to me.

• I'll just wait and see what happens.

• What's meant to be will be.

• If it's God's will...

• I don't know what I like.

I used to say some of these things. I used to see myself as a chameleon. I could adapt to whatever the other person decided, and for the most part be happy.

I was "easy" and "flexible". I was also afraid.

Afraid of seeming weird. Afraid of rocking the boat. 

I was "accommodating" and "down for anything". I was also undervaluing myself, my opinion.

It sounds so silly to me now. Why didn't I take a little time to figure out what it was that I actually wanted? What it was that I actually liked? What my preferences were? Who I was?

The past year or so I've practiced making strong decisions.

What do I mean by that? I made a list of things that I liked. Things I wanted to do. Restaurants to try.

When someone asked my opinion I gave it. Honestly. 

I decided to not spend a lot of time making a decision, but rather to decide and then stick to it. Have my own back. Not waiver. I decided on purpose to like my reason.

If I want to take a course I set a time to consider it, decide and then don't look back.

The more I've done this, the easier it's become. It showed up in a funny way this past weekend.

My husband and I were cleaning out the garage. We are downsizing and preparing our house to list. As we were going through piles of stuff collected over the years, I found myself thinking:

1. Do I love this? Yes, it'd go to the keep pile. No, I'd go to question #2.

2. Can someone use this? Yes, it'd go to the American Cancer Society pile. No, I'd go to question #3.

3. Is this broken or trash? I'd pitch it. 

This process was fast. I was sorting and piling in less than a minute or so for each item.

Every now and then my husband, who typically has very strong opinions, would ask me "Should we keep this?" and it would be like a bottle of cleaner that was 5 years old, or some old electronic equipment (cd player anyone?)

I found myself getting irritated. I had worked so hard to get efficient at making decisions and here he was asking me about things that really could have all been pitched in the trash. 

I finally said to him in a lighthearted voice "Look, you have my permission to make a strong decision and just do it. We don't need to have a team effort for this stuff." 

He got the hint and we moved on.

For the first time I noticed what making strong decisions has done for me. It's given me some time back. The less time I spend in indecision, the more time I have to spend on things and people that are important to me.

In fact, making strong decisions has morphed into a 4 day work week for me. I've tightened up my decisions M-Th, so that I can take Fridays off. 

How fun is that?!

Being indecisive ultimately costs us time.

If you’re ready to take back control of your time and live a life by design, use the button below to book a free 45 minute consultation. You’ve got nothing to lose and so much to gain.

Decision Making: Why Is It So Hard To Choose?

What is it about making decisions that can feel so hard?

This comes up eventually in almost all of my coaching sessions.

A decision needs to be made, large, small, in between. It doesn’t really matter.

In the moment, it feels like a very large and very serious decision, no matter what it’s about. Life or death. For sure.

And for some reason it feels impossible to make it. To decide.

When I ask my clients why? Why is it hard to choose?

They tell me the following:

• “What if I make the wrong decision?”

• “What if I regret my decision?”

• “What if it turns out bad and I get blamed?”

• “What if the consequences are bad and my fault?”

• “What if I change my mind later?”

Let’s take a look at these a little bit closer.

Is there a such thing as a wrong decision?

What if everything worked in your favor no matter what you chose?

Romans 8:28 is a favorite verse of mine.

“And we know that for those who love God, that is, for those who are called according to his purpose, all things are working together for good.”

All things!

No matter what decision we make, it will happen FOR us.

Even if it feels like it’s not working out the way we intended, or desired, we can have faith in the fact that in the larger picture it will contribute to our good.

What is regret?

According to the dictionary, regret is: a feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has happened or been done.

Let me repeat the first part…regret is a feeling.

What do we know about feelings?

That we create them ourselves with what we choose to think.

We can think a thought, like “I knew I should’ve chosen the other one. Now I’m stuck with this.” and feel regret.

Or we can think a thought like “I got the perfect one for me. How do I know that? Because it’s the one that I have.” and feel confident in our selection.

Who decides if something’s bad?

And who decides if we feel blame?

Good news again! We do.

For every single thing that happens, we get to decide if we are going to find the bad in it or the good in it. There’s always both.

Let’s say something doesn’t go as planned, and someone “blames you for making the wrong decision”. You get to decide if you want to agree with them and join that party, or not.

Let them think what they want. They will anyways. You get to decide if you want to think the same thing.

The good thing about others being allowed to think whatever they want, is we get to do the same thing!

Next time you’re faced with a decision treat it like a band aid that you forgot was there. It needs to come off and the faster the better.

Ask yourself if either option worked out perfectly, exactly the way that you wanted them to, which would you choose then?

Go with that one.

You feel stuck because you’re delaying the decision. Making a choice actually takes less than 30 seconds.

Rather than choosing an option, and making the decision, you’re choosing to stay stuck.

It’s not happening to you. You’re choosing it.

You make a decision the same way. Just choose.

If you think you may need a life coach in your life, I’d love to talk with you. Book a free 45 minute mini-session to find out what it’s all about and how it can help you launch into the next version of yourself!