All Decisions are NOT Equal
How many hours did you spend making decisions this week!?
And don’t just count the hours at work!
Be sure to count the time you spent making dinner while distracted, or prepping for a meeting while thinking of a separate problem, or spending time with your family while comparing scenarios in the back of your head.
Every moment where you couldn’t be fully present, because you were thinking of a choice you had to make.
It’s a lot, isn’t it?
This email is the start of a short series on decision-making. It’s vitally important for leadership, and it’s also one of the most common topics that comes up in client conversations.
Because if there’s one thing we ALL have in common…it’s decisions.
Today, I want to begin by focusing on time: How you can spend less time making decisions, so you have more time acting on them.
The Enemies: Impulse & Decision Paralysis
Let’s start this series by giving ourselves a scale.
On one side, think of a child immediately pointing and saying “I want this one!” It’s a split-second decision. Takes no time at all.
On the other side, we’ve got the iconic Thinker, who could spend eternity thinking and still not have enough time.
Some days, we’re like the child. We make an impulsive decision based on instinct and hope for the best.
Other days we’re on the opposite end of the spectrum: overthinking, second-guessing, stressing, letting a decision drain hours of our time and energy.
Most of the time, we want to be somewhere in the middle. As leaders, we have a responsibility to weigh our options and think things through. But we also don’t want to get stalled by decision paralysis.
How do we find the balance?
The answer is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
The Framework: Hats, Haircuts, and Tattoos
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, has a framework he calls “Hats, Haircuts, and Tattoos.”
In a blog post/newsletter, Clear explains it like this:
➡️ “Most decisions are like hats. Try one and if you don’t like it, put it back and try another. The cost of a mistake is low, so move quickly and try a bunch of hats.”
➡️ “Some decisions are like haircuts. You can fix a bad one, but it won’t be quick and you might feel foolish for awhile. That said, don’t be scared of a bad haircut. Trying something new is usually a risk worth taking. If it doesn’t work out, by this time next year you will have moved on and so will everyone else.”
➡️ “A few decisions are like tattoos. Once you make them, you have to live with them. Some mistakes are irreversible. Maybe you’ll move on for a moment, but then you’ll glance in the mirror and be reminded of that choice all over again. Even years later, the decision leaves a mark. When you’re dealing with an irreversible choice, move slowly and think carefully.”
Clear suggests that the first step in making a decision is figuring out if this is a hat, a haircut, or a tattoo.
Putting It Into Practice
Today’s challenge is to apply this framework to the decisions in your own life.
If it’s a ‘hat’ decision, make a choice and move on. It’s not worth your energy and attention to labor over making the exact right decision.
If it’s a ‘haircut’ decision, spend a little more time, but not too much. Consider setting internal deadlines for yourself so you don’t keep spinning on the problem. And don’t torture yourself if it doesn’t work out as you had planned.
Focus your attention on the ‘tattoo’ decisions: the ones that are lasting, visible, impactful, and painful or expensive to get wrong.
One of the biggest mistakes I see leaders make is treating a hat decision like it’s a tattoo. Please don’t spend your precious time and energy angsting over decisions that don’t really matter in the long run! Becoming the Thinker in every instance is a sure path to burnout.
You can make fast decisions and take risks with the hat and haircut. Instead, get the tattoo decisions mostly right, and you’re likely to be on a positive track.
P.S. This blog post is just the first of several centered on decisions and time management..