Making decisions too quickly makes you more likely to end up with short-sighted or superficial solutions. But if you take too long to decide, you might miss opportunities. How do you strike a balance? Try to retain a sense of urgency while also taking time to reflect. Think about what’s trapping you in your too-quick mode of decision making. Perhaps you rush to end an important meeting just to make it to the next one. Maybe you’re multitasking and not giving questions your full attention. Or maybe you’re saying yes to projects when you should be saying no. Traps like these keep you stuck in triage mode, which makes taking time to reflect on your intentions and actions feels like a luxury you can’t afford. If you’re able to spot your trap, you can stop the self-defeating habits that keep you in a constant state of elevated urgency. Then you can introduce moments of reflection so that you’re making thoughtful decisions.
Adapted from "How to Act Quickly Without Sacrificing Critical Thinking," by Jesse Sostrin
