DECISION PARALYSIS

The ability to make choices seems so easy for some doesn't it?. A snap decision between A or B, a gentle waft of forethought, a sober smattering of afterthought, and next to no procrastination along the way.

However for some, being presented with an abundance of choices can be overwhelmingly debilitating. I can't even count the amount of time I've lost wandering a supermarket aisle trying to choose between items with little or no immediately apparent differences.

The fact that this type of indecision has a funky moniker helps to relieve the frustration somewhat, decision paralysis sounds a lot better than "Why are there so many different damned yogurts to choose from, life was better when I could only buy SKI in four flavours".

Of course, the drawback of having analysis paralysis (no I didn't make that up) is that everything takes so sodding long. And somewhat like my knackered old laptop as soon as my brain reaches information overload (which it does pretty rapidly) it just shuts down and renders me into a gormless, stuttering mess.

As a responsible adult, I researched ways to combat my inability to make even the simplest of decisions easily which in itself presented a problem. I now have at my disposal a myriad of ways to tackle my paralysis by analysis, but which of them to implement when the absolute need arises.

The problem is that for people with analysis paralysis, all decisions are equal and it becomes all but impossible to prioritize anything. But there are some nifty little tricks that you could use to make the decision-making process less prolonged and agonizing.

MY PERSONAL STRATEGY... YES, I HAVE ACTUAL TIPS!

1. Try and become more aware of when your paralysis is kicking in. Once we get lost in the process of overthinking anxiety shows its face and we're lost in the same cycle of indecision and self-doubt. Take a step back, slow down and try and determine whether the thing you're procrastinating over actually deserves any of your very valuable mind space right now.

2. Get it onto paper. Do a brain dump and then see what things actually NEED to get done and in which order. Listing all your available options can make it easier to eliminate the bad or less desirable ones. You could even give yourself a loose time limit for smaller decision-making tasks.

3. Don't be so quick to mistrust your gut. We who lack the wherewithal to make a decision quickly sometimes mistrust our instincts, but developing even just a little bit of confidence in our own decision-making skills can make a substantial difference. Have faith in yourself friend, you are your own specialist subject and nobody knows you better than you know yourself.

4. You don't have to aim for perfection ALL the time. There are of course times where perfection, or the closest we can get to it might be called for but quite often we hold ourselves up to impossibly high standards when it's probably neither fair nor required. Go easier on yourself and accept that not everything has to be "just so". Slapdash is acceptable a lot of the time. Trust me hardly anyone notices.

5. If all else fails... You could try asking someone you trust for a second opinion. Friends or family might be a good source of help if a decision is just too difficult to make alone. Just take care that the extra input doesn't add to your decision making fatigue.

Honestly, my inability to make clear, concise decisions affects me far less than the people around me and I'm unashamedly OK with that, and it's probably why I don't have any great impulse to change my ridiculously indecisive ways. But if I ever do manage to make any sensible sort of choice within what society deems to be an acceptable time frame, I'll be sure to let you know.