1. Think about the advice you would give a friend. "Sometimes it is helpful to forget for a moment that it is your own life you are deciding about. This method helps us detach ourselves from the emotions of the situation, which can sometimes prevent us from making the right choice."
2. List the pros and cons. "Keep in mind that when you come up with the pros and cons of multiple options, you need to have a baseline option to compare against, and this baseline needs to be the same for each of the options."
3. Do a full cost-benefit analysis. "If you want a formal procedure for making a really tough decision, try this one. Again come up with a list of pros and cons for each option, but this time also come up with three numbers for each of these pros and cons."
4. Gather data about others who have made the same choices. "It’s important to do this research when possible,  and not overestimate how special or unique your situation is. If things almost always go badly for people that select a certain choice, then they’ll most likely go badly if you make that choice as well."
5. Visualize the options. "Make sure these visualizations cover both the good and bad aspects of each choice. Spend more time focussing on the aspects of the options that will occur the most, since these tend to have a much greater impact on how good or bad a situation is overall."
6. Persuade yourself with an essay. "This writing process can help you flesh out your thoughts, analyze the situation more completely, and discover more about how you feel about the various options."
7. Poll good decision makers. "Think of three or four people who are unusually good decision makers, and unusually careful at thinking through challenging problems. Now, explain to each of them the details of your situation, and ask what they think you should do in the circumstance."

Which of these seven strategies jumps out to you as the one you'll lean on for your next big decision?

For me, #6 really stood out.

I've written before about the clarifying effect of sitting down and writing. It's one of the main reasons I enjoy writing this newsletter each week, because the act of researching and writing it helps me understand and absorb the concepts. It's also one of the reasons why I've adopted Brian Schultz's habit of journaling for 15 minutes every evening. 

But I've never applied this practice to decision making in the way Spencer prescribes, which is to actually write a 400-word essay arguing for one side of the decision ... and then write a 400-word essay arguing for the other side. I can easily imagine how much clearer the decision would be afterwards. 

Which of Spencer's seven strategies stands out the most to you? Will you commit to adopting it for your next difficult decision? (Hit reply on this email and let me know.)

There is much more in Spencer's article than just these seven strategies. He begins the piece with four traps that are all too easy to fall into when we are faced with a difficult decision. I'll let you read those on your own.

Read: Making Really Difficult Decisions (Spencer Greenberg)

Below, you will find three other resources to help you make difficult decisions.

But first, a quick couple of notes about next week's new webinar with Spencer (plus our first Book Club!) inside the THINKERS Workshop ...