17 Ways to Be Less Indecisive

Life is all about choices. Tomorrow morning, will you order a latte or a flat white? Are you going to paint your living room charcoal or pewter this weekend? Should you take the soul-sucking job with the high salary or the low-paying one you're deeply passionate about?

Yes, our days are full of forks in the road, and the decisions can quickly pile up, compounding any feelings of stress and anxiety into an insurmountable wall of paralyzing indecisiveness. But things don't have to be that way. In fact, by deploying a series of tried-and-true maneuvers, you can become a black belt in making on-the-spot decisions. Here, straight from life coaches, psychologists, and other experts, are the best methods for combatting indecision.

If you're facing a choice that involves multiple options with a range of different benefits, setting up a decision matrix can help you sift through things, says Amie Devero, a personal coach, management consultant, and owner of Amie Devero Coaching and Consulting in Tampa, Florida.

So what's a decision matrix? "It's basically a table with options listed on the vertical axis and all of the expected costs and benefits along the other," says Devero. "To do it, you need to create a rating scale—say, one to five—and rate each option."

If you're trying to choose between a few laptops, for instance, the columns could be "cost," "warranty," "included service," included software," "RAM," "chip speed," and "hard drive space." From there, Devero says, "assign each option a rating number, and add or multiply each column to get a total. Then do what the math indicates."

There's nothing wrong with being an overachiever, but load your schedule up, and all you're doing is hobbling your own potential. Far better to narrow your focus and give 100 percent to a few things.

"I find it helpful to pick one or two clear-cut tasks and use a time-tracking app to ensure I'm spending the majority of my week focused on just those one or two things," says Chloe Brittain, an entrepreneur and owner of Opal Transcription Services. "There are a limited number of hours in a day, so isolating my time in this way helps to crowd out opportunities for information overload. It also gives me fewer things to worry about, which helps with decision-making in general—not just in business."

An easy way to force yourself to come to a decision is to set a deadline on any choice you face—as long as said deadline is realistic. If you're choosing between something life-changing, like which graduate school to go to, set a date a month or more in advance. If it's a choice between what colors to paint your living room, though, two weeks should be plenty.

"Establish a realistic deadline to make the decision and maintain firm boundaries to not go beyond the allotted time," says Amy Moreira, a mental health counselor and founder of More MH Counseling, LLC, a private outpatient mental health practice in Rhode Island. "Let the small decisions go and focus on developing your skills on improving indecisiveness on the bigger decisions."

What if you still haven't made a choice by the time your deadline rolls around? Flip a coin, says Moreira. That way, you can move on once and for all.

Pop quiz: What works just as well on crosswords, on standardized tests, and in everyday decision-making? If you answered "the process of elimination," you win!

Winnowing your choices down as much as possible eliminates potential hesitation. "Narrow your options to two outcomes," says Moreira. "If there are fewer options, your decision can become clearer." This tactic especially comes in handy when you're attempting to choose one from a pool of many—like buying a new car when your list of options is well into the double digits.

"If you're indecisive, there's typically a fear of making the wrong move, feeling responsible if other people involved don't have a good time, or maybe even thinking the other party knows better," says Sheila Tucker, an associate marriage and family therapist and owner of Heart Mind & Soul Counseling in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

So, the next time you're working your way through a difficult decision that could affect others—like quitting your job—just remember that this is a decision that you must come to on your own.

Yes, your choices are yours alone, and shouldn't be heavily influenced by those around you. Still, Moreira suggests seeking advice from a trusted friend or family member to help ease your indecisiveness. Seeking out someone you trust can not only help you make your ultimate decision, but it can also affirm the conclusion that you've come to on your own. Having someone look at your situation as an outsider can give you a perspective that you may not have factored in otherwise.

Remember that time when you said yes to that unexpected on-the-fly invitation and had the best time ever? Well, as Tucker points out, you can utilize this same carefree attitude towards decision-making when it comes to the deeper aspects of your life, too. "Don't try to overthink the outcome of your decisions," she says. "It's easy to get caught in the spiral of what could go wrong, but at the end of the day, you don't have total control over situations or other people. Looking back at the times your decision-making turned out okay often helps with your confidence in the present moment."

Though you shouldn't waste too much time wavering on every little decision in your life, you should at least do your homework to ensure that you know, with some degree of accuracy, how each component of the decision will affect your short-term and long-term goals—especially if you're doing something that involves financial logistics (like, say, leaving a staff position to become an independent contractor).

"If you are indecisive about something, it usually means you are very stressed out and full of anxiety due to a lack of understanding and awareness of the decision," says finance blogger Scott Bates. "The best way to deal with it is to find out more knowledge in that area and don't stop until you're full of confidence. Then you'll be able to make a snappy decision and the right one after that."

Though you may know that you're good enough to succeed in the end, any doubts and insecurities laying dormant in your brain are sure to spring into action the moment that you're about to make a big decision, like picking a reputable daycare for your first child. When this inevitably happens, be sure to work through your internal conflicts before making your decision.

"By implementing positive affirmations throughout your day, journaling, or even going to therapy, you can decrease the critical voice of insecurity and increase your decisiveness," says Maryann W. Mathai, a clinical counselor helping clients in New York, Connecticut, and Ohio. "I use journaling to take stock of the automatic negative thoughts that creep in and reframe them into more positive, realistic statements about myself."

Decisions are less scary when you can get a glimpse at what the repercussions, good or bad, might be. So, before making any determination, try taking your options for a test drive. "Allow your self time to test out a decision," says Belinda Ginter, an emotional kinesiologist and mindset expert. "Decisions become less scary when you give yourself permission that if it does not feel right or work out for you, then you will quickly re-analyze and make a different decision."ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

Of course, this only works for small-scale life decisions. But if you're just trying to, say, pick a new yoga class, test driving a few options can be a major boon.

Just like any other skill in life, being decisive takes practice, says Dr. Fran Walfish, a Beverly Hills-based family and relationship psychotherapist and the author of The Self-Aware Parent. She suggests practicing decisiveness by making small, unimportant decisions—like trying a new brand of laundry detergent or heading to a new coffee spot—on a regular basis. By practicing how to make decisions in a timely manner, the bigger decisions will no longer require days of agonized pondering.

"Start small," says Walfish. "Once you have mastered little decisions, you can grow from there."

According to Charusila Grace, a life coach and energy healer in Los Angeles, California, behind every decision (important or not) lies a fear of the unknown. In the process of making any decision, it's likely that you agonize over the opinions of others and how the decision will affect the rest of your life—and that's completely normal. To ease any anxiety as a result of indecisiveness, Grace recommends asking yourself a few key questions before coming to any conclusions.

"My top tip for overcoming indecisiveness is to take a blank piece of paper and write at the top: 'If there were no consequences to my decision, if money was no object, and if everyone that I love was going to be totally happy with my decision, what would I do?'," she says. What's more, Grace recommends asking yourself the following questions:

• What are the potential consequences I'm most afraid of?
• What is the worst thing that could happen?
• What is the best possible outcome?
• How would my life change for the better if that positive outcome occurred?

"This process gives you all the background information you need and brings you closer to the heart of why this question or decision is so important to you," Grace says.

Again, the biggest roadblock to choice is fear—whether it's fear associated with making an incorrect move or, at its worst, fear of making any move at all. To bypass any hindering fear of failure, Hassan Alnassir—an entrepreneur with Size Graf in Delaware—suggests taking risks often.

"Being hesitant in making decisions is mainly due to the fear of failure or not getting it perfectly right, especially when money is involved," says Alnassir. "To become less indecisive, you should consistently engage in activities that include taking risks such as developing a business, trading in stocks, or even climbing trees. Performing risky tasks helps to dissolve your fear of making mistakes and allows you to more firmly make up your mind about things when needed."

If you're facing down a major decision—think moving to a new city, or switching jobs—it's best to imagine what the absolute worst-case scenario might be. Then, prove to yourself that it's not so bad.

Nicole Herrera, a marriage and family therapist in Denver, Colorado, says you should push yourself to "make a game plan for being okay even in that situation."

Your gut has gotten you this far—so listen to it. "Indecisiveness is often due to the intolerance of uncertainty, and having too many options," says Dr. Jamie Long, a clinical psychologist at The Psychology Group in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "The more options we have, the more indecisive we can become, so it's important to practice getting better at quickly narrowing down options by remaining clear on priorities and relying a little bit on your gut. It's actually a really great resource."

One of the worst aspects of decision-making is dealing with the uncertainty that goes along with forging a new path in your life. But, as Long points out, learning how to cope with this uncertainty can make you a better decision-maker in the end. "To get better at tolerating uncertainty, accept that no matter what decision you make, there's no guarantee it will be the best one after more time has passed and more information is revealed," she says. "To cope with the anxiety of that, use positive self talk to reassure yourself that even if you don't make the best decision, you will effectively cope with the decision you made."

The best way to come to terms with a choice is to stand by it—no matter what. "Once you've made a decision about where to go on holiday, which apartment to rent, what outfit to wear, or what to order at a restaurant, simply believe that you made the right choice," says Christine Scott-Hudson, a psychotherapist and owner of Create Your Life Studio. "Decide that it was the absolute best, right choice for you, and it will be. Don't give it another thought." And for more advice on decision-making, be sure to steer clear of these 20 Financial Decisions You're Guaranteed to Regret.

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