You Can Be the Decider

2 Comments: You Can Be the Decider

1. Since I can remember I’ve made “pro/con” lists to make decisions. From changing jobs to buying a house – not usually which shampoo to buy though! I was finally diagnosed with Severe Anxiety and AdHD Inattentive when I was 39 years old. I believe the pro/con lists are part of my decision making process to control the enormous amount of thoughts constantly flood my mind. I need to see my thoughts in writing. Also, if I want to read anything I read it better if it’s in columns (like a newspaper) – otherwise my mind wanders and I’ll stop reading. I friend of mine plays a game called 5/3/1 when she is trying to decide a restaurant with a friend. Person A pick 5 places. Person B picks 3 places out of the list of 5 and then person A picks 1 out of the last three. Restaurant decided!

2. I have developed a technique for small either/or decisions where I assign A to one choice and B to the other. Then I ask whoever is with me, “A or B”. Sometimes, I truly don’t care which one and I go with which ever one they choose. Other times, as soon as they pick one, I know that I *Really* wanted the other one and I go with that one. By not telling the person I’m with which is which, I don’t irritate them if I choose the opposite of what they said. Having someone else make a decision helps that “gut reaction” kick in.