Pursuit of Happiness:
Decision-Making 101
Michael Gollin
March 2015
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Good decision-making contributes to happiness.
Here’s how to make good decisions and avoid paralysis and delay while collecting too much information (indecision) or deciding with too little information (impetuousness). Follow these steps.
1. Based on what you know, what would you decide?
2. Is there any information available that would change your tentative decision?
3. If no, decide and act. If yes, get that information, consider it, and repeat the process.
You will find it easier to make a tentative decision in step 1 with practice and growing confidence in steps 2 and 3.
If you still can’t get past step 1, flip a coin and see how you feel about the random decision. You are free to change your mind until you finish step 3 and act to make a commitment.
It becomes natural after a while. I try to follow this approach with career and job decisions, purchases, financial decisions, travel, health decisions, parenting, you name it.
Happy decision-making!
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innovationlifelove 
Thanks for the advice on Analysis Paralysis…I think I will skip directly to coin flipping…My hubby usually plays the part of the coin: by making a decision one way, I either agree or it becomes glaringly clear I would prefer the opposite;-)
Michael! This is just what I needed to read today. Decisions are sometimes scary but you’ve offered such a reasonable approach I’ve got to follow it.