How do you usually take decisions?
Do you listen to your brain?
Or do you listen to your gut feeling?
What is important to take good decisions?
Science, but also reality shows, that you need to listen to our brain and as well to our gut feeling or intuition. Good decisions are not taken suddenly, but need a process, in which you take enough time to verify the alternatives, own motivation, and the system you use to search information. At the end you should have the feeling that you have done everything that was in your power, to take a good decision.
For this reason the Psychologist Heath developed a decisional system in four steps called WRAP.
A quick guide to take good decisions using the WRAP-Process
Step 1: W – like Width of options
In this phase make a brainstorming and collect all alternatives you see for solving your problem and make a decision. Take care, do not frame out any possibilities, but let your mind wander openly and note all decision alternatives on a list. Mind the tunnel view and search always possibilities, which cover combined solutions. Do not let yourself satisfied with one single option but search also for alternatives.
Ask yourself in order to obtain more alternatives for your decision: Are these the only possible options? Aren’t there any other options? Is there a way to connect more options and to combine more directions into one? What do people from your family, friends say, who have been in a similar situation? What do people in online forums say? Which information can be found in books?
Step 2: R – like Reality test of your assumptions (alternatives)
In this phase you have all the possible alternatives in front of you and start to analyze them.
Ask yourself: What is good for me? What is not that good? Which decision tendencies do I feel inside me?
Take care, because you tend to interpret here the options according to your own preferences, wishes or views. Usually, intuition kicks in automatically and associates all infos that sustains your preferences, but filters everything, that could disturb the decision process.
Therefore search all juxtaposing information. These informations will cause an interior conflict and will put into question all preferences or point of view or at least relatives it to a point or can eliminate it at all. Be your own Avocatus Diaboli. Zoom in, have a closer look at details, and search for rebuttals. Furthermore try to live the consequences of your alternatives as good as possible, test and experiment them in real life.
Step 3: A – like Attain distance before you decide
Before taking the decision you should distance yourself from the situation. Take now the bird view and look from the top on the situation. Make a distance to yourself.
What you could ask yourself: How will I feel with this option in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years? (Speak out loudly to yourself) What would I recommend my best friend in this case? Which life do I want to live? How do I like to work? With whom do I want to spend my time with?
These questions will help you to distance yourself and to make a change of perspectives. A good decision is part of the true self and personality. So, take important decisions only when you have the sure feeling, that you are in balance with yourself.
Step 4: P – like Prepare to be wrong (accept your mistake)
Most people think that by taking the option they have taken the decision. But you never know, what the future brings for you – so you should be prepared and to accept that you also can be wrong.
Use the Premortem Method: You are a year in future. You have put your plan into practice, but the result is a catastrophe. Write in 5-10 minutes a short paragraph, why this has happened.
Put yourself obstacles and remember yourself that your are still in the decision process. But even if things do not worked out, as you planned, learn from the situation and use it in your next decision!