Hard Decisions vs Difficult Decisions – Part 2

SOME decisions seem complex to take.

Every decision is made hard or difficult based on how two parameters behave.

The first parameter is how comparable two options are (whether one choice is clearly better than the other), and the second is how big the consequence of that decision is.

A third factor is the reversibility of the decision, but that we will save for another day.

Let’s develop a useful table to help you classify decisions by combining the two parameters.

Firstly, the easiest decisions to take are when option one is much better than the other, with little to no consequences.

For example, the decision to have lunch at your favourite restaurant.

These are called ‘no-brainers’.

In this category, there is no big consequence if you make the wrong decision. You should be making these decisions fast and without fuss.

The second category is when the options are so similar but the consequences are still very low. This is called an apples/pears decision, because it is neither here nor there.

The third category is when the options are very easy to differentiate, but have high consequences. Oddly enough, these decisions should be easy to take because it is clear what the better option should be.

This is like deciding whether to undergo a life-saving operation.

The fourth and last are the hardest decisions to take. These are choices where there is no obvious better choice or where the right decision will only show itself in hindsight.

In these cases, rationalising and weighing up choices will not help much, and that is why your subjective reasoning should drive your ultimate decision.

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