Decision Making and Problem Solving

To a large degree, the quality of your life is based upon two abilities.

 Your ability to make good decisions.

If, whenever you need to make a decision, you always make the right decision, then your life would be wonderful. If you always made the wrong decision, your life would be woeful.

Your ability to solve the problems that face you.

Whenever you are facing a problem, if you are able to quickly analyse the problem to discover its causes, and its solutions, then your progress would be rapid and continuous. But if you were gaining problems faster than you could solve them, then your progress would be slow. You may even regress.

If you want things to improve, the best way is to improve your ability to make good decisions and solve problems.

There are three problem solving methods and four decision making methods you need to know.

1. Problem cause solution analysis

All problems have causes. And all causes suggest possible solutions. You need to master the art of problem cause solution mapping

2. Problem Implication countermeasure

Most problems have implications: meaning if you have problem 1 that might be the trigger for a future problem 2, 3, and 4. Problems have implications and, therefore, you need to project forward in time, and think about the countermeasures that you could instigate NOW to prevent problem 1 from multiplying itself; like a virus.

3. Creative problem solving

The previous two methods of problem solving are logical analytical step-by-step thinking.

Creative problem solving is less methodical. It is intuitive, leap of imagination. 

This type of problem solving has many names: creative thinking, thinking outside the box, Blue sky thinking, brainstorming. It is the kind of creative problem solving that can be made to happen if you set the conditions correctly, and if you have the right people in the right mood.

4 Decision making methods you need to know

A decision is the act of selecting one option from more than one options. A good decision is the act of selecting the best option from more than one options.

If you can, always select the best option from those available then you will do very well for yourself!

There are fundamentally four kinds of decision you need to master.

4.1 The 'Yes' or 'No'? decision (also known as the 'Should we or should we not?' decision)

4.2 Which one / what kind? (If you are going to get one, you need to decide, which one / what kind? The "which one /what kind" decision comes-up, practically every day)

4.3 Prioritization by value

4.3 Prioritization by logical sequence