MAKE DECISIONS FASTER: the 1 question guaranteed to help you make a choice
One of the UK’s leading supermarket chains has announced that it is going to decrease choice in its stores, therefore finally catching onto the feedback that too much choice overwhelms consumers – and actually STOPS them from making a purchase.
How many times have you wanted to choose an item and been so overwhelmed with the different options that you end up going away empty handed or procrastinating the decision and therefore wasting time and money?
The internet which can be our friend (quite literally for some people!) is definitely our enemy when it comes to making decisions. It is so easy to compare! We have to get the best price, even if we waste hours of time attempting to get the top deal, which of course, as time costs money, is a false economy. Of course, apps like Tinder are capitalising on this, leading to fears that now people are being turned into items to be compared and bought at a store and that “there may be a better version out there”. Hmm… this is not such a new idea actually.
Decision-making is one of the most resource intensive activities for your brain which is a key reason for why you will deliberate and find the process especially challenging when tired or in need of fuel. The longer the decision remains unmade the more stress, as it causes a bottleneck in your brain, as lots of other decisions back up behind it like cars in a traffic jam.
So here is a quick question to ask for when you need to make a fast decision:
Which choice feels lighter?
Your brain is in constant communication with your body and I guarantee that you will know the answer immediately. Trust the answer and importantly, act on it. Even if it seems to go against what seems logical!
I speak from experience having recently walked away from a lucrative opportunity because my body dug its heels in and felt so heavy just thinking about it. My mind wrestled with it, however the unconscious message won, opening up space for other more energising (and ultimately more rewarding) new developments.
“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”
-Roy E. Disney