Being Indecisive: What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do

Hesitating, calculating risk per decision we make, costs a lot of mental energy. On easy days, it’s permissible, but come uncontrollably stressful days, our habits of indecision can burn the last of the mental energy we have and allow us to become irritable monsters that we abhor. Know that being indecisive is a thing everyone deals with. And that after trying some of these tricks, you’ll recover an ounce (or more) of mental energy so foreign to you, you won’t know how to spend it.

1. Prepare For Next Time

Your decision won’t kill you.

If your inner calculator is burning up, for the amount of pro’s and con’s you have allotted for choosing a n apple or baguette at Panera, save your energy with this tip. I say to myself I chose the bread this time. And if I don’t like my decision, I’ll just get the apple next time. My decision won’t kill me. Make your decision with the thought that if things don’t turn out the way you want them to, there is a next time. And you won’t die because of either decision.

2. Rank Your Tasks Based On Difficulty

Break your mental indecisive banter.

Have you a lot to do? So much so, that you’re indecisive about choosing which task to begin? I number my tasks 1-5, on an easiest to hardest scale. Whether you’re choosing which assignment to approach first, or which errand to complete, numbering them based on the difficulty they pose for you categorizes your to-do’s. This process will help bring you out of contemplation and into action.

3. Sleep On It

Sleep helps.

Debating sending that text to your friend? Sleep on it. They didn’t even know you were going to send it in the first place, so what difference will 8 hours make? We all come to those Ah-ha! moments after we wake up. Sleep has given me clarity once or twice on my decisions. Maybe it can for you.

4. Walk Around

Change your scenery.

I try to get the blood goin’, organs pumping’, juice flowin’ when my thoughts are in literal purgatory. A change of scenery can make a difference in your mood. While you may not spark a Jimmy Neutron Brain Blast (what a show, amiright?), you can slightly calm those indecisive nerves of yours.

5. Change It Up

Change your routine.

Do you obsess about which route you’ll take your dog on? Which one will prompt it to pee faster, and which one will calm you down the most? Wait same, neither do I… I’ve learned how futile my indecisiveness can be when I make a distinct decision to change my routine. Next time, I’m not turning right on that sidewalk at the Stop sign, I’m gonna look both ways for traffic and walk myself and my black lab Scruffy, straight across the street.

6. Don’t Be Too Proud

Pride can get the best of us.

Don’t be too proud to just stick to a decision because you made it. If it doesn’t feel right, seek advice from someone that knows you almost as well as you know yourself. If you’re unsure about what to do, and you’ve already used enough time thinking about it, phone a friend. They’re your friend, so they want to talk to you. Plus, they’ll feel included when you reach out for help. Feel free to click on my name above to read my other articles for lifestyle advice!