Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with decisionmaking

Looking for Decisonmaking Style Selection tool

Susan PG — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:01:25 -0800

I am looking for a leadership tool I used to use back in the late nineties, but can't find anymore. It was a flowchart intended to help a person determine which decisionmaking style to use in a particular set of circumstances. Essentially it takes the D1-D5 framework (where D1 is highly directive and D5 is highly collaborative), and sets up a flowchart process that helps the person determine which to use. So for example it would ask “Will other people be affected by the decision” (yes argues for collaboration) and “Will other people's acceptance of the decision be required for implementation” (yes argues for collaboration). I am specifically looking for a flowchart; I already have a description of the decisionmaking styles and the contexts for which each is appropriate. Thanks for any help you can provide :-)

Jump in, the water's fine

snowymorninblues — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:04:07 -0800

Why don't I know what I want? I seem to have always had trouble making decisions. As I've gotten older I've gotten better at making quicker consumer decisions w/out analyzing all the info (mentioned b/c this was actually a major life change for me, after reading Barry Schwartz's the Paradox of Choice), but I'm having a lot of trouble with the bigger picture. Issues both big and small: should we get a dog? should I sign up to volunteer someplace? Is it wasting everybody's time to interview if I'm not sure I'd enjoy this job? I like the freedom of parttime/contract work, but am I sacrificing fulfillment I might find in a career? Is now a good time to start our family? Do we want a family?

It feels like I'm on the sidelines watching a game(life) going on. These are things it seems many other people don't even give much thought to, they just jump in. When I ask myself 'what do I want' I get overwhelmed, depressed and spiral down.

Some would argue, don't stress about it, just go with the flow, but the trouble is, I'm in my late 30's and I feel like I should have a little bit of a plan (particularly the family thing). I know life is unpredictable, but it seems by not having any plan at all I'm missing out on experiences that would contribute to a richer life - connections, memories, joys, sadness, growth... and instead am just sort of living numbly.

I don't think it's an issue of being afraid of risks, per se, but in the past when I've taken risks I've always had a clear conviction about what I wanted. OTOH I feel like part of my problem may be past situations where I either took the path of least resistance or made a spontaneous decision and in hindsight wish I had done something differently. I definitely have a problem with evaluating current decisions in terms of possible missed opportunities in the future. Although it wasn't 2nd nature to me, I have gotten ok with the whole 'go out try it, fail, make mistakes, try again, savor the process' philosophy. I just seem to have trouble applying that to the big decisions

Also, because if seems relevant, for much of my adult life I had a long term goal I was working towards and had built much of life around. About a year ago I realized that I had achieved what I originally set out to do. I have a new related goal now, but it's less defined, with a longer timeline, and isn't as much a driving force in how I'm living my daily life. I think part of my problem stems from being so focused on the old goal, and am little lost now that it's past.

Any advice on how to tackle this? I've read a lot of 'find your path' books, but I feel like I need concrete actionable steps. Do you think it warrants seeing a therapist? I tried last year and despite being hopeful it would help, it was a rather disappointing and frustrating experience, the therapist just kept telling me 'acceptance is key'. I understand what she meant, but I want to be pushed harder, have someone who will work with me to find the real issues, adjust how I think about things, call me out on my bs, etc. I'm would love to try again with a different therapist, any suggestions on finding that person (I live in a small town in CA)?

Do I need to just get out of my head, am I soft because my life is just too darn easy? I feel like there's a part of me waiting to be unlocked. If I really didn't know deep down somewhere what I wanted, wouldn't I just be happy with the status quo? Thanks for your wisdom!!

Drowning in the Sea of Possibilities!

woodblock100 — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:38:05 -0800

I'm looking for advice on systems of organizing data to support a decision making process (either software, or manually (index cards, etc.)) We get lots of posts here on AskMe from people asking for advice on making a decision, sometimes quite major life decisions. In this case, I'm not asking the internet to make my decision for me, but am interesting in learning what tools/techniques people have found useful for helping to make such decisions themselves.

Let's suppose - just hypothetically :-) that you were approaching one of those times in your life when you will find yourself at a major 'fork in the road'. Maybe it's even a multiple fork ... a number of possible futures.

It's not a simple binary decision; there are just too many things to consider. You want to try and cover a great many 'data points', including such things as the various pros and cons of each of those possible futures (income potentials, location, companionship, communication, satisfaction, climate, etc. etc.), how those all factors mesh with your personal needs (health factors, exercise, diet, etc.), as well as considerations of how these 'futures' will play out as you age ... There are potentially hundreds and hundreds of data points, each with their own 'pros and cons'.

Lay it out with spreadsheets? Seems just too limiting.
Use scribbled 'post notes' stuck up in groups on a (huge) wall? Seems kind of chaotic.

I'm not looking for a system that will make the decisions, just searching for a way to organize my thoughts, really. A few suggestions were tossed out on a thread a couple of years back, but how do you go about organizing data to support complex decision making?

(And as an aside, it seems to me that none of the current AskMe categories fit this question. Maybe there should be a category for 'tools'?)

DIY Decide It Yourself

Xurando — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:47:45 -0800

Help me create a template for determining when I should DIY or not. In general, I always vacillate when trying to decide whether or not to do something myself or hire someone to do the task. I've decided it would be helpful to have a decision making template. Here are some othe areas I have been struggling with.
1. Bathroom
2. My tax person just made $4,000 mistake that I wouldn't have made myself. I could do both my business and personal taxes with turbo tax but thought a professional would be simpler.
3. I recently switched my retirement money to a broker who has put it all into mutual funds with high expense ratios as well as his own fee. I tell myself I don't have time to follow the market but I could save money doing it myself.
4. I tore the door baffle/rubber ring on my front loading washer. I have the replacement part. I'll save $200 by doing it myself but frustration/aggravation costs may be high.

Is there a simple formula for making these decisions in terms of time/cost/frustration?

How can we be randomly assigned to bedrooms?

dorothy humbird — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 09:53:16 -0800

My future flatmates and I would like to be randomly assigned to the bedrooms in our apartment. There are three of us, but one of us is currently overseas until we move in. The bedrooms in our future flat are not all created equal - two 10'x12' and a slightly larger master bedroom with slightly more closet space. Not enough of a difference to require adjusted division of rent, but enough to muddle up the decision process.

Is there an online tool that can emulate the pick-the-names-out-of-a-hat trick? You Draw Straws looks awesome, but would be more appropriate if we all had several ideas for a roadtrip, or something. I'd like it to be web-based so all parties have easy access to the results and can rest assured that the choice was made by a mindless, entirely objective string of code.

Making Better Choices

generic230 — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 07:43:52 -0800

How do you make good decisions/choices when you obviously have feelings (your own or others) that want to drive you in one direction? I find that I am able to convince myself with what seems like sound evidence to make the choice I seem to want at the time, then, down the road, I realize I allowed my judgment to be clouded by a number of things. 1: My feelings 2: The pressure of others whose job is to CONVINCE people to do things their way (my agents) 3: Guilt.

I am unhappy with the choices I have been talked into or talked myself into that have really made my career, personal and financial success less than spectacular. Don’t get me wrong, I am successful, I am financially okay, and I am creatively happy, however, I could have been SO MUCH MORE. I have made a number of poor choices that have made my success only middlin’.

I am tired of making decisions/choices in the middle of emotions that seem like they are worth considering.

I can get talked into stuff fairly easily and I’m tired of that. I don’t think it has really helped me. I have a two year window of opportunity before I might have to leave my business due to my age, and I want to MAXIMIZE my potential. Currently, I am exercising, have changed my diet to a much healthier one, I am getting better sleep, losing weight, and finally dealing with chronic health problems that I have ignored. I also am in therapy and have made tremendous strides emotionally and mentally. I realized that all these things would need to be done in order to function at a higher level and give me a shot at more significant personal and professional success. There is just one part left:

DECISION MAKING SKILLS. How does one go about REALLY understanding the difference between feelings and fact? And, in the midst of feelings (like fear, guilt, wants) how does one go about understanding how important they really are, or how much weight they should have in making a decision? And how do you seperate them from genuine "gut feelings"?

Does anyone have a PROTOCOL for good decision making, are there questions I can ask myself when faced with these things and HOW DO I RESIST BEING PRESSURED? This is a business (I’m a TV writer) where that’s basically what the people I work with do, and they are much better at it than I am. How do I KNOW when to stand strong and when to acquiesce? How do I stop feeling guilty, anxious in the moment and make clear, strong choices, EVEN if I am characterized as being difficult?

Jack of all trade-offs

goodnewsfortheinsane — Mon, 21 Nov 2005 13:14:19 -0800

What kind of freelance work is right for me? I am currently in college, but I'm working less now due to my parttime job being downsized, and I could use a little extra cash. I want to try freelance jobs, but which ones? My experience and interests are a mish-mash of the creative trades:

Text: I'm alright with words, especially if they're of the Dutch or English variety. I've been writing songs (in English) for over ten years, I've written short stories (one has been published in a Dutch online literary magazine), and blogging for two-and-a-half years. I can also translate between English and Dutch. I've worked as an editor for one of those Yellow Pages-ish web portals that went bust when the dotcom bubble burst.

Music: I'm working on music projects of my own, but I've also written the odd song on request for a theatre group. I have my own home studio.

Other: I've organised and presented singer/songwriter open mic nights. I shoot and edit video, and I've worked as a video operator at a film festival. I've done a sketch act for local radio. I've worked as a lighting engineer at a local venue. I enjoy photography in my spare time. I've been building web sites for ten years or so, but I don't consider this my greatest talent. I have a decent understanding of the techniques, standards and software though.

As you can see, my interests are all over the place. What angle would be best for landing freelance jobs? Factors such as market demand, chance of success, expected pay and expected satisfaction can all be taken into consideration. Feel free to ask for clarification, if need be. Thanks in advance!