At times making a simple decision can become a challenge. You can feel stuck. There might be also quite a few decisions to make and as a result, there is a lot to deal with and to solve.
Often what is needed is to pause. Get some quiet time, take a pen and paper and write down all that is on your mind. Then start making small decisions. There is no right or wrong. The act of deciding will free your mental space and give you clarity.
I have experienced it often myself. There comes a period when I need to decide about a few things that can have an impact. I consider options and keep thinking which way to go. Fundamentally, I carry on doing this for a while without deciding.
This happened to me earlier in January when I was deciding on my working structure – when to coach, when to do personal/professional development, when to do admin, blog writing. I considered various alternatives and options, but I couldn’t decide on the final version.
I have a four-year-old son who doesn’t stop so there’s always something to do, prepare, Lego to dismantle ;) and sometimes my mind doesn’t stop thinking. However, I was recently on a train to London, and I decided that I will spend the journey working out the structure I was talking about (instead of looking at emails and other work-related things). After an hour on the train, I had almost a full structure worked out. On the way home, I polished it, and decisions were made.
I looked back at this experience, and it reminded me that sometimes we need to go on these ‘train journeys’ where there’s nowhere to go and just a quiet space to pause and reflect to make a plan. Carving that time out might not be easy sometimes but it’s always worth it. We can’t make good decisions when we are in the middle of five activities.
The key is to decide that now it’s time to make a change and give yourself a specific time for the task at hand. Commit to it and show up. It’s a start. I wanted to make some decisions by the time I arrive to London and that was my goal. Sitting on a train and looking at the countryside while making notes provided that perfect setting for me. Work out what it is that you need and create those spaces for you.
What do you need to decide on?