The Great Debate — How to Improve Decision Making Starting Today

What if you could wind time forward and take a look at how the decision you’re contemplating today look from the perspective of 10 years from now?In a series of ongoing research scientists from Stanford University and New York University have found that if they could ‘show people’ how their decisions about lifestyle habits made them look 10 or 20 years later, participants were more apt to quit smoking, save money and make other decisions that have long-term consequences.  Most of us can’t get away from decision making. Every single day there are numerous decisions like should I park here, what size tip should I leave or what color should I paint our bedroom, what should I wear to a bridge game and on and on. Have you ever found yourself stuck when it comes to making decisions about buying something simple because there are too many choices?Let’s start at the grocery store. Sounds easy, right? You’ve decided to try a different brand of toothpaste. You head over to the toothpaste aisle only to find dozens and dozens of choices. And within each major brand there are numerous things to consider before putting one single tube in your cart.Stuck in Decision-Making ModeYou’ll have to make a decision about flavors, teeth whitening strengths, fluoride, gum disease and cavity protection and tartar control, tube styles (stand alone or flat tube), paste styles (gel, mint stripes or regular) and how much ‘total’ protection you want. Maybe you want everything the manufacturer is offering in one tube, then again, maybe you don’t care about the whitening but you care a lot about tartar control. So you start trying to incorporate your needs with what’s on the shelf. Now you’ve noticed you’ve spent 10 minutes looking at the choices before deciding on one $3 item.You’re not done making decisions in the grocery store. Some products like bottled water, tomato sauce, bread, and cereal and coffee, come in so many options you start to feel like you’re spending too much time making decisions about simple daily items… time you could be golfing, reading, playing cards, anything other than debating product options in front of you.Now compound the grocery shopping decisions with big, long-lasting decisions like should you downsize and move to a smaller home, should you switch health care providers if that means switching doctors or should you go in debt to buy a newer car or help your children or grandchildren pay off student loans or take a much needed vacation when the money is really earmarked to repair the roof?We’ve all been in the position of making decisions that in hindsight are regrettable, so how do you avoid making regrettable decisions? Nothing tests your value system, character and integrity more than your ability to make good sound decisions. Memory Counts in Better Decision Making How do you remember all the details you are pondering when you’re examining the pros and cons of making a decision? Many people find as they age it becomes more challenging to weigh all the appropriate details they should take into account because their memory isn’t as sharp as they would like.But there is good news for those who would like to have strong concentration skills and better memory. Many people across the country are working on boosting their memory and many are turning to Prevagen (prevagen.com), which has been proven in clinical trials to improve memory. It’s been the dream of researchers for decades — to boost our memory as we age. Quincy Bioscience (quincybioscience.com) a Madison-based bioscience company, spent over 15 years doing just that when they developed Prevagen, a brain-support supplement that has shown to help improve memory. An improved memory is a goal of many people as they age. If you are worried about your mental capacity as you get older, don’t let worry hold you back from boosting your cognitive skills when you face important decisions. Or for any decision like what toothpaste makes the most sense for you. You can have a healthier brain as you age. Many people who add Prevagen to their daily regimen do just that — they enjoy improved concentration, focus and memory. Isn’t it time you added Prevagen in your daily decision-making life?More Tips for Making Better DecisionsIf everyone had a crystal ball there would be no need to worry about what decision would be the right one. But you can learn to make better decisions by using ‘sound decision methodology.’ That means you can learn to stay away from making decisions when you are apt to be misinformed, you don’t fully understand the option, you feel pushed to decide or you feel manipulated to make a decision that may not be right for you.Gut instincts can only take you so far. Naturally, every time you buy groceries you can’t spend a lot of time weighing the merits of each brand, but you can use some these tips to help filter through all the selections in front of you on a daily basis and for big decisions you make less often.

• Know when you should avoid making important decisions. Put off making a decision if you feel uniformed or pressured to decide immediately.
• Poor choices can lead to bad decisions over and over again.How can you change the pattern? Gather as much information/research as you can before making a big decision.
• Ask yourself simple questions. Pretend your decision was printed on the front of your daily newspaper. How would that decision look to others if they heard about the decision you’re contemplating? Would it seem like a sound and reasonable choice?
• Does the decision support your belief system? It’s hard to say no to some offers from advertising offers, professionals or individuals especially if you don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. But ask yourself, are you saying ‘yes’ because you don’t want to let someone down or are you saying yes because you strongly believe in the offer, service or product? Good decisions are based on the latter.
• Use your own head. Don’t make big decisions based on what your friends or neighbors want you to do. They may be well intentioned but it’s you who has to live the consequences of your decision. Try to filter out circulating opinions and use your own research to form an opinion.
• When in doubt… seek professional advice. For example, if you’re trying to decide whether to abandon your current health care plan and sign up for another, you might want to talk to outside experts like a non-profit health care advisor, general insurance agent, pharmacist or financial planner.   
• Have a back-up plan. Everyone makes decisions that sometimes turn out not to be right in hindsight. When you’re making a big decision have a back-up plan if the decision turns out not to be the perfect plan.