Making important decisions can be tough whether it is at work or in your life in general. It can be scary because you do not always know what the correct choice is that will have the outcome you are looking for. The University of Dartmouth’s decision-making method shows you how to make a decision using different scenarios and picking the right one in the end.
First, understand why it is you need to make a decision. Collect all of the information that you need to make this decision from the best sources as well as figure out how to get the information. There are a number of sources that you can find online, in books, videos, interviews, and other sources to better help you make a decision. Next, find several paths of action. Run through the scenarios in your head as if there was only one choice about this decision, you would make it. Use your imagination and other types of information to come up with new plans.
You can draw out these plans on a graph or a list about what will happen if each plan of action is carried out and if you will be satisfied with the solution. See if you will favor certain actions that have a higher potential of reaching that answer you want. You can even prioritize each scenario based on which one will help you reach your goal faster. Finally once you have gone through all of the scenarios, select an action that works best for you or choose a combination of them. As you are experiencing the results of this action, see if it was the right one to make. If it was not, repeat this decision-making process to come up with a new decision. It can mean you need to gather more details, different information, or take additional actions to get to your goal.
You can use this action plan for choosing a recovery method. Make a list of all of the different types of recovery to take such as therapy, 12 step programs, expressive therapy, mindfulness therapy, group therapy, etc. Write out the scenarios of what you will get out of each method as well as any negatives that can come from each method. Once you analyze these scenarios, pick one and stick with it. If it does not work out, you know there are other choices to choose from.
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