Process for Decision Making

We Turbo Thinkers tend to be an impulsive bunch. A moment of passion seizes us and we dive head first into action. Our brains light up with the stimulation of novelty and we feel the rush of excitement. When we recognize that pure fervor drives the action, we can pause to identify which specific emotion ignites the fire.

What am I feeling at this moment? Is it pure desire? Fear? Of what? Can we take a deep breath to engage the prefrontal cortex and access our executive function skills to make a wiser decision? Sometimes it helps to walk away for a while, or better yet, to sleep on it. Will you have a shameover or buyer's remorse? Will you honestly use this item? If you really think so, could you perhaps buy a second hand version instead?

I once had a client who struggled with an online shopping addiction. Eventually she decided to allow herself to fill her shopping cart with the desired items, but only purchasing one time per week. Was everything still absolutely necessary? Did she perceive the same thrill as when she had placed it in her cart? Inevitably, she could delete the majority of items. 

We can also ask ourselves, does the action align with our purpose? Or is it a distraction? How does it add long term benefits? We can check in with our best future self. “Hey, Future Self, what do you think about this?”  Does your future self support you in this decision? Would she do it? How do you want her to feel? You owe her a chance at success. You deserve that.

Enroll in Turbo Think Tank today.