That’s right. Let a coin help you decide!
Sound preposterous? On closer examination it may not be as silly as it sounds.
…What this is really about is taking action.
My view is that the coin toss itself doesn’t make your decisions for you. Rather it is a tool that acts as a catalyst for generating momentum when you’re stuck.
Decision making is a skill that affects all areas of our day to day living, personally and professionally. When to get up, what to wear, what to eat. And we’re not out the door yet.
Business relies heavily on efficient decision making. Whether you’re part of a team, in a leadership role, or running your own show, indecision can slow operations and reflect negatively on your reputation. In many circumstances we’re better off taking any decision then no decision at all.
Considering the thousands of decisions we make daily, many are so much a part of the day they go unnoticed. How many times to hit the snooze button. Which cufflinks to wear. Which train journey to take today. Mostly a quick deliberation and then we’ve moved on.
But sometimes this split-second reflex doesn’t work.
And don’t think size necessarily matters either.
We can get just as stymied by a big life change – whether or not to move house or change jobs – as we can over which starter to choose at dinner.
Say you’re contemplating a weighty decision, such as acquiring a business. Of course you wouldn’t flip a coin without taking a second look at the prospect.
Heavy consequences are involved and you’d want to ensure you were as fully informed as possible to avoid a costly mistake. So you research, perform due diligence and weigh up the pros and cons. The results may make your decision crystal clear, or you may still arrive at an impasse where either decision is a go ahead.
It still feels fifty/fifty. Should I or shouldn’t I? So you deliberate some more.
But wait too long and you may miss the opportunity altogether.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are the decisions that are fairly inconsequential in the scheme of things. Will it matter which bunch of flowers you selected or whether you wore the blue suit over the grey?
Not likely.
But too much pondering over the flowers and you may find yourself late for the dinner party. Too much dilly-dally over the colour of your suit might cause you tardiness to the meeting.
Why do we struggle?
Fear of making a mistake.
Fear of making a wrong decision.
Fear of making a bad decision.
Fear of not being happy or satisfied with our choice.
Fear of what we may lose or miss by not choosing the other option.
Enter the mighty coin toss.
Don’t think tossing a coin diminishes the importance of any decision, or that it is a cop out for making a decision.
Rather consider it a mechanism to get you off the fence and catapult you into action.
Ways the coin toss helps:
– If you’re disappointed by the outcome, then the toss has helped bring to light how you really feel about the decision. Great, go with the other option.
– If you notice yourself secretly hoping for the outcome while the coin is in the air, no need to wait for heads or tails, you’ve made your decision.
– If the outcome leaves you feeling indifferent then that’s good too. Proceed immediately with whichever side is facing up and don’t look back.
What happens if you’re not happy with the experience following a decision?
You can waste time begrudging yourself for making ‘the wrong choice’, grumbling it was hours of your life you won’t get back. Or, you can shrug your shoulders and chalk it up as lessons learned. The more experienced we are, the better decisions we make – so every experience is valuable.
Consider the approach of the late Susan Jeffers in her book “Feel the fear and do it anyway”. Susan discusses what she calls ‘no-lose decisions’. She suggested there are no wrong decisions, because whether we choose Path A or Path B, both include treats or ‘goodies’ along the way. These goodies come in the form of experiences, learnings, and opportunities.
I find this approach very effective in easing the stress and anxiety of decision-making, as it puts a positive spin on every decision outcome being a learning opportunity.
Sitting on the fence doesn’t get you anywhere.
And deliberation is mentally exhausting.
So if you’re really struggling, put a coin in the air. Or have fun using the on-line coin toss from Freakonomics.
As opposed to the worst, what’s the best thing that could happen?
What other methods help you in making decisions? Please share in the comments below.
Comments are closed.