Don’t Make Rushed Decisions
If the issue is serious, never make a decision on the spot unless you absolutely have
to. Think it over for a few minutes, an evening, or a weekend, and then go into
the office with your answer. Give yourself the time you need to avoid the mistakes
that often result from haste.
WHAT MEANS IT: Clearly, decisions can vary considerably in their
urgency, importance, and complexity—and so no one rule of thumb fits all—but
you should never be pressured into giving a quick yes or no before you’ve given
yourself adequate time to think it through. At the end of the day, it’s much more
about the quality of your decisions than the time it took to make them.
ACTION PLAN: Make it a point to never make an instant decision if there
isn’t a compelling reason to do so. Make sure you have the facts. And then go grab
a cup of coffee or take a walk around the block or resolve to sleep on it. More
often than not, you have the right to give yourself a little time to breathe—and
think it over.
EVEN BETTER: Write it down! List the pros and cons of making your
decision one way or another. Listing and evaluating the relevant considerations
and potential consequences can be a very useful tool for helping you to think
things through. And the very process itself can be a healthy brake on the tendency
to make snap decisions.
