成功人士是如何作出明智的决定的？

英文版本，请见下方。

你的生活不断地要做着各种决定。一项哥伦比亚大学的研究发现，我们每天至少要陷入70个决定中。

有些决定很小，比如吃什么，开哪条路线上班，或是用什么顺序来解决任务。剩下的决定要难得多，比如在两份工作邀请中做选择，要不要因为所爱的人而搬去一个新的城市，或是要不要将一个产生负面影响的人移出你的生活。

每天我们要做那么多的决定，学着将这些决定按轻重缓急进行排序，然后有效率地做出决定，对于你的成功和快乐来说至关重要。

虽然我对于成功人士为了有效率地做出决定而使用的许多策略都非常熟悉，但接下来我要谈的都是其中的精华。

他们将小决定变成常规…

做决定其实就像使用肌肉一样：如果你一整天都在使用肌肉，他们就会变得太过疲劳以至于不能有效工作。成功人士用来解决决策疲劳的最佳策略之一就是将小决定变成常规。这样做能将脑力用于更复杂的决策中。

史蒂芬•乔布斯以每天都穿黑色低圆领套头衫工作而闻名。马克•扎克伯格仍然在穿那款连帽衫。这两位男士都说，这些标志性形象就是试图降低决策疲劳的常规所带来的简单结果。他们都意识到，每天做出好决定的能力是有限的。正如巴拉克•奥巴马所说，“你会发现我只穿灰色或蓝色西服。我正试着减少要做的决定。我不想为吃什么或穿什么做决定，因为我还有其他太多决定要做。”

…同时，他们在早上做重大决定

解决决策疲劳的另一个好方法就是把小决定留到下班后再做（那时候决策疲劳达到了峰值）。同时，要在早上解决复杂的决策问题，因为那时你的脑子最清醒。如果你有很多重大决策要做，诀窍就是早点起床，在被一连串令人分心的小决策骚扰之前（比如来电，接收电子邮件），先处理最复杂的任务。另一个相似的策略是，在前一天晚上完成一些琐事，这样第二天你就会有一个良好的开端。比如，你可以在晚上选好要穿的衣服，这样第二天醒来时你就不用思考要穿什么了。

他们关注自己的情绪

有句古话说：“不要因一时的情绪而做出永久的决定”。这句话是完全正确的。成功人士能够认识并理解自己的情绪（包括这些情绪的强度以及对行为的影响）。因此，他们能够尽可能客观且理智地看待各种决策。

可惜的是，大多数人并不能很好的处理，甚至是意识到自己的情绪。TalentSmart测试了超过100万人，发现36%的人能在有情绪时准确地认识自己的情绪。强大的决策者知道坏情绪会让他们抨击或偏离自己的道德指南，就像好情绪能轻易就让他们过度自信或冲动一样。

他们客观地评估选项

全身心投入一项决策时，成功人士会用一套已经设定的标准来衡量他们的每个选项。因为他们知道，这会让决策更加容易且有效率。这里有一些值得考虑的标准：这个决定会给我带来什么好处？又会有什么坏处？对于___来说，有什么好处？又有什么坏处？这个决定能反映我的价值吗？我会后悔这个决定吗？不做这个决定我会后悔吗？这个决定能反映我的价值吗？

他们睡一觉再做决定…

把决定留到第二天再做，能够保证第二天做决定时，你已经考虑得很清楚了。同时，这也能给你时间整理自己的情绪。如果你太快行动，你可能就要再次行动。但是，如果你花更多精力和时间来做决定，你会发现之前没注意到的、这个决定的重要方面。

…但是，时间不要太长

成功人士知道尽可能收集信息的重要性。但同时，他们也深知不要沦为分析瘫痪的牺牲品。成功人士知道，做决定的时候，他们需要遵循一个时间表，而不是过一天算一天。一旦他们设定了做决定的日子，为了在期限前完成，他们就会积极地做功课以及进行一些自我反省。

他们通过运动来充电

大决定所带来的压力自然会产生皮质醇。这种化学物质会激发“战斗-逃跑反应”。皮质醇会影响清晰、理智思考的能力。当你发现自己因一个决定而倍感压力的时候，试着做运动吧。只需要花30分钟，你就会因脑内啡而充满活力，精神上也倍感清爽。通过运用皮质醇，运动也能帮你度过“战斗-逃跑反应”阶段。研究发现，长期运动能够提升大脑负责决策区域的总体机能。

他们总会回归到自己的道德指南

成功人士明白，做重大决定时，坚持自己道德标准的重要性。当你的情绪将你拉向一个不同方向时，道德标准是值得信赖的向导。

他们会寻求外界的建议

要做决定的时候，我们会很自然地选择一个选项，然后收集信息来支持这个选项，而不是先收集信息，再做出选择（这就是证实偏向）。消除证实偏向的一个好方法就是向那些会对你的处境提出不同观点的人寻求想法和建议。他们的观点能帮你更客观地权衡自己的选项，同时让你发现自己主观的或不理性的趋向。

他们反省过去的决定

马克•吐温是这样描述做决定这件事的复杂本质的：“好的决定源于经验，而经验是源于做过的坏决定。”这句话并不是说做无数的坏决定是成为一个好的决策者的唯一途径；这句话的意思是谨记过去的决定是很重要的。当相似的情形出现时，成功人士会充分认识到过去的决定，并进行合理利用。

将这些整合在一起。

由于决定所带来的影响能够持续几天、几周甚至是几年，好的决定是值得你花所有时间和精力做出努力的。

你是怎么做出好决定的呢？请在下面的评论区分享你的想法，因为我在你身上学到的和你能从我身上学到的一样多。

来源：Linkedin中国

How Successful People Make Smart Decisions

Your days are filled with a constant stream of decisions. A study from Columbia University found that we’re bogged down by a good 70 decisions a day.

Some decisions are minor, like what to eat, which route to drive to work, or in what order to tackle tasks. Others are more difficult, like deciding between two job offers, whether to move to a new city for someone you love, or whether to cut a toxic person out of your life.

With so many decisions taking up each day, learning to prioritize them and make them effectively is essential to your success and happiness.

While I’m familiar with many strategies successful people use for effective decision-making, what follows are the cream of the crop.

They Turn Small Decisions into Routines …

Decision-making works like a muscle: as you use it over the course of the day, it gets too exhausted to function effectively. One of the best strategies successful people use to work around their decision fatigue is to eliminate smaller decisions by turning them into routines. Doing so frees up mental resources for more complex decisions.

Steve Jobs famously wore a black turtleneck to work every day. Mark Zuckerberg still dons a hoodie. Both men have stated that these iconic images are the simple result of daily routines intended to cut down on decision fatigue. They were both aware of our finite daily ability to make good decisions, as is Barack Obama, who said, “You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits. I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing, because I have too many other decisions to make.”

… and Make Big Decisions in the Morning

Another great way to beat decision fatigue is to save small decisions for after work (when decision fatigue is greatest) and to tackle complex decisions in the morning, when your mind is fresh. When you’re facing a stream of important decisions, a great trick is to wake up early and work on your most complicated tasks before you get hit with a bunch of distracting minor decisions (phones ringing, e-mails coming in). A similar strategy is to do some of the smaller things the night before to get a head start on the next day. For instance, lay out your outfit at night so you don’t even have to think about it when you wake up.

They Pay Attention to Their Emotions

There’s an old saying: “Don’t make permanent decisions based on temporary emotions,” and it definitely rings true. Successful people recognize and understand their emotions (including their intensity and impact on behavior) so that they are able to look at decisions as objectively and rationally as possible.

Unfortunately, most people aren’t good at managing or even recognizing their emotions. TalentSmart has tested more than a million people and found that only 36% of us are able to accurately identify our emotions as they happen. Strong decision makers, on the other hand, know that a bad mood can make them lash out or stray from their moral compass just as easily as a good mood can make them overconfident and impulsive.

They Evaluate Their Options Objectively

When really wrapped up in a decision, successful people weigh their options against a pre-determined set of criteria because they know that this makes decision-making easier and more effective. Here are some helpful criteria to consider: How does this decision benefit me? How does it hurt me? How does this benefit ___? How does it hurt ___? Does the decision reflect my values? Would I regret making this decision? Would I regret not making this decision? Does this decision reflect my values?

They Sleep on It …

Sleeping on your decision ensures that you have clarity of thought when you approach it the next day. It also allows time for your emotions to run their course. When you act too quickly, you tend to react, but when you give more focus and time to your decision, you expose important facets of it that you didn’t see before.

… but Not for Too Long

Successful people know the importance of gathering as much information as they can, but at the same time, they make certain not to fall prey to analysis paralysis. Instead of waiting for the moons to align, successful people know that they need to have a timetable to follow in reaching their decision. Once they set that date, they are motivated to do their homework and some soul searching in order to meet the deadline.

They Use Exercise to Recharge

The stress of a major decision naturally produces cortisol, the chemical that triggers the fight-or-flight response. Cortisol clouds your ability to think clearly and rationally. When you find yourself stressing about a decision, try exercising. As little as 30 minutes is all it takes to get a good endorphin-fueled buzz and to return to mental clarity. Exercise also helps you get past that fight-or-flight state by putting the cortisol to practical use. Research shows that long-term exercise improves the overall functioning of the brain regions responsible for decision-making.

They Always Go Back to Their Moral Compass

Successful people know the importance of sticking to their morals when making an important decision. Morals serve as trusted guides when your emotions are pulling you in a different direction.

They Seek Outside Counsel

When approaching a decision, we have a natural tendency to pick an alternative and then to gather information to support that decision, instead of gathering information and then choosing a side (this is called confirmation bias). A great way to beat confirmation bias is to seek outside opinions and advice from people who bring different perspectives to your situation. Their perspectives help you weigh your options more objectively and to spot your subjective or irrational tendencies.

They Reflect on Previous Decisions

Mark Twain described the complicated nature of decision-making as follows: “Good decisions come from experience, but experience comes from making bad decisions.” This isn’t to say that the only way to become a great decision maker is to make a ton of mistakes; it just means that it’s important to keep past decisions front of mind. Successful people are aware enough of past decisions to use them to their benefit when something similar comes up.

Bringing It All Together

With repercussions that can last days, weeks, and even years, making great decisions is an effort that’s worth every bit of your time and energy.

How do you make great decisions? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

Source：Linkedin

（责任编辑：职场达人）