Analyzing a situation or a decision that you are about to make can do wonders in obtaining the rightful results that you would have expected. Life is like a game of chess. You should move your soldiers( life decisions) based on a clear understanding of the situation and based on your preferences. Moreover, an analysis of the uncertainty of your life situation can do more wonders than directly relying on an expert or getting help. This is because you alone will know about the complete aspects of the situation and will know what is best for you. The analysis should be done on smaller functionings of life such as purchasing groceries to the aspects of life-changing decisions.
Here I am not to advise you on how you can make better decisions as you will be the pro in dealing with your life but to describe how you could analyze one and choose a better decision rather than rushing towards it.
Everyone has to make a decision more than once a day which may be related to work or personal life or on simple aspects such as which route to take for your commute back home at night. Here are some of the aspects that I perform while I am about to make a decision:
Study the background
A complete study on the background information and the data available will initially provide you with a complex undertaking on what has led to the situation. Let me give you an example, take grocery shopping many of you will do it once in a month or twice or based on your household requirement. You should consider the aspects of what went wrong during your last purchase of similar items on the list and plan accordingly. It may be of some cereals which you bought which have expired making it inedible. The supermarkets and grocery stores will always keep the old products in the front for the perishable ones since they have to be sold out fast. Learn about these simple tricks and trades of life which can be called hacks and make your life simpler.
Analyze
A thorough analysis and study of a situation or the decisions that you are about to make will be beneficial in the long run as it will be able to provide you with quantified reports on the results of choosing a decision. Furthermore, the analysis on the various decisional options will help you to refine them and remove the ones not suitable to you, one by one until only one of the decisions exist which will be providing you with desired results or with the one with a high success rate. This methodology of describing the various options based on the success rate will provide you with an element that you can quantify on.
Consider all the parameters
All the parameters of the situation and the parties involved should be considered. You might not be deciding for yourself but a group of people having similar thoughts or a vision. However, you should consider all their aspects and needs before making a decision. In addition, a smaller parameter which on the front face which does not play a crucial role might be the trump card in the entire situation. Therefore, never neglect a parameter that can be considered.
Use modernized decision-making methodologies
An ideal person will adapt to the newer methodologies of functioning in this world. Moreover, similar aspects should be considered while trying to choose the decisions. Today there are various modernized analyses as well as decision-making principles available which have been researched and developed by the greatest minds of the world. With the use of methodologies such as SWOT - a strategic planning technique, affinity diagrams, cost/ benefit analysis, Analytical hierarchy process(AHP), Influential diagram approach (IDA) and many more can be used for your decision-making process.
Do not rush
It's been said that there is an answer for all the questions and problems of this universe within it which will be revealed at the right time. In every situation of decision making or life, you should have patience as well and calmness in mind to not rush things. However, you should be prepared for every mishap and strike your decision at the right time and place. Just as in the case of greater wars, where the army with greater frontier and strength was defeated by the use of brain and the approach of the fight by a smaller group of soldiers. Here the use of the brain has won over the might and strength of warriors. It's always best to be prepared for the worst and expect the best in you to happen in life.