How can I avoid analysis paralysis in decision-making and pick what's "right for me" more consistently? How can I minimize regret?
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posted by Seeking Direction
on Mar 4, 2013 -
25 answers
If I become a parent, I don't want to be a typical one. I also don't want to be anything like my own parents. How do you maintain your own life? What are some movies/TV shows/books/memoirs can help me get a feel for how non-stereotypical-suburban-American people treat their kids?
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posted by 3491again
on Dec 7, 2012 -
51 answers
I'm ready to leave my unhappy, borderline-abusive, caretaker-y marriage (details in a series of posts, most recently
here). Do I just wait until I've got all my ducks in a row and then go, or should I be kinder, and give my spouse some kind of notice period.
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posted by six sided sock
on Nov 23, 2012 -
69 answers
Some people say: “If you have doubt, it is there for a reason.”
Other people say: “Everyone has doubt. Don’t miss a golden opportunity because you don’t feel ready. No one ever feels 100% ready for anything until it happens.”
What is the line between a rational decision and a missed opportunity, and how do I tell the difference?
Disclaimer: Not really about the dog.
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posted by emoemu
on Mar 11, 2012 -
19 answers
Sewing machine issues: should I go for a service, or upgrade to a better model?
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posted by robintw
on Feb 8, 2012 -
6 answers
Somehow, I seem to have lost the ability to make confident decisions - and the trivial ways in which this happens is having a non-trivial impact on my life. How can I address this?:
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 6, 2011 -
13 answers
I find it nearly impossible to make decisions, particularly if I have two equally good options. I always regret whichever one I choose.
I'm a graphics student and yesterday I had to choose whether to take illustration or film this semester. After hours of weighing pros and cons I went with illustration, then I spent the rest of the day convincing myself I should've picked film. Now I've been given the option to switch, and I still can't decide!
How do I stop driving myself crazy whenever I have to make an important decision?
posted by Chenko
on Sep 29, 2011 -
28 answers
I'm researching how the ways companies make decisions can help individuals make decisions. Can you think of examples of famous companies making a radical, transformative decision in the last 10 years?
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posted by Marzipan
on Sep 16, 2011 -
24 answers
I need your experience and advice on a break-up issue. Please read my way too long post. Thanks
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posted by dude22
on Sep 13, 2011 -
21 answers
What are little things I can do each day to lower the amount in which I care what people think of me?
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 25, 2011 -
25 answers
If you are in a relationship and there are difficulties, should you tell the other person that you are thinking about breaking up, or should you wait until you're *sure* you want to break up to mention it?
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 8, 2011 -
26 answers
My parents gave me a hard-to-pronounce name, and when I got to grade school my classmates started calling me something similiar for pronunciation ease. I picked a new name for myself in Highschool, but I haven't been able to stick to any name since then. How do I stick to whichever name I choose?
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posted by Autumn
on Feb 22, 2011 -
29 answers
What metric can I use to decide whether and when to do will-save-time-in-the-future type tasks?
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posted by piato
on Jan 20, 2011 -
8 answers
How do I avoid alienating either of two friends who just broke up? I have to pull out of attending an event with one of them, so do I mention that it's because I'll be attending with the other, or say nothing about why, and risk running into them there?
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posted by lollusc
on Sep 22, 2010 -
13 answers
Decision-making frenzy. Help me not to drive myself and others crazy. Specific situation and long-term problem inside.
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posted by 3491again
on Aug 26, 2010 -
18 answers
I've been accepted to 2 Teach English Abroad programs: a prestigious Fulbright grant in Turkey and a less prestigious program in Spain. I'm torn by indecision--which to choose?
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posted by scclads
on Jun 24, 2010 -
37 answers
I'm considering moving back to my own hometown, but it's complicated. How do I separate out the emotional stuff and make a sensible decision?
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posted by xchmp
on Jun 1, 2010 -
5 answers
Do I take the new job that's just about as bad as the old job? Or do I stay in the old job and hope it gets better?
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 8, 2010 -
20 answers
In total grief mode after the recent death of a much loved family member. The standard advice is to take things slow for a period of time after that death, so that you can come to terms with what happened and re-group. What I'm finding is that besides just being sad over losing this person, I'm also having some of the usual "what's it all about?" and "if life can be cut short like that, how do I make the most of it."
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posted by anonymous
on Mar 3, 2010 -
9 answers
What are some tools and techniques I can use to become a better critical thinker? I asked my friend the other day what he got out of his tier-1 education and he said it taught him how to 'think through problems'. What exactly did his professors teach him about critical thinking? If I memorize the logical fallacies or make a pro's and con's list will I be a better thinker? Is 'going with your gut' an approved tactic in this pursuit? What things do you do to think through a problem and come up with rock solid plans, decisions, and recommendations?
posted by jasondigitized
on Oct 26, 2009 -
16 answers
So, I'm sitting on the beach and a large flock of seagulls more or less simultaneously settle on the sand together, all facing the same direction. Intermittantly, individual birds will take off from the group and fly away. What is the motivation and even better, the decision process, for these rebel birds to depart from the flock at that particular moment?
posted by marcurios
on Sep 13, 2009 -
10 answers
I'm trying to decide whether to go to business school (I was admitted to a top 5 school in the US), or earn an academic masters program on a full fellowship in Europe. I have to decide right away, as school is about to start and I just can't resolve my concerns.
I'm not sure how much of a business person I am (although I've done some entrepreneurial things in the past). I just graduated from college (although I'm a bit over the traditional age), and I'm not really sure what I want to do with my life. Business school costs about $100k.
The free masters program is much more academic -- and I'm eager to live abroad.
How do I approach this decision? I've made pro and con lists, meditated, "listened to my heart" and so many things. My mind changes every five minutes as I think about different aspects of the decision. Help!
I'm not sure what I "want to be when I grow up". When I was a kid, I wanted to be a lawyer and a writer -- and if I go to business school, I close the door on being a lawyer. I still want to explore a lot of things, and I'm afraid of being so much in debt when I go off to do that. On the other hand, I want to be economically secure and do have interests in entrepreneurship and other business careers.
posted by anonymous
on Sep 2, 2009 -
19 answers
Stopped and fined for shoplifting for the first time. What to do with the confusing letter I received, the non-responding phone #, and the fine.
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posted by anonymous
on Aug 14, 2009 -
32 answers
I am a female college student who has decided to live with 7 males around the same age. Help me cope with this radical change and make it through the year without flipping my lid or regretting my decision!
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posted by rachaelfaith
on May 31, 2009 -
32 answers
What can I do to feel more positive and confident while riding out uncertaintiy in "transitional" phases of my life?
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posted by Chrysalis
on May 25, 2009 -
7 answers
I'm afraid of making big decisions in my life because I worry too much on what other people will think of me and I feel it will close to many other doors ...(long)
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posted by mind2body
on Apr 1, 2009 -
15 answers
Calling Scottish MeFites and fellow Scottish diaspora - what's the job market like in Scotland at the moment, and am I mad to be considering moving back?
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posted by Happy Dave
on Dec 2, 2008 -
7 answers
My mother thinks I should stay home. I'm having an internal conflict about what I want to do. Whenever I tell myself I want to return to Copenhagen, I immediately doubt it and think I should return home. If I say I want to go home, I feel like I will regret not returning to Copenhagen forever.
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posted by starpoint
on Nov 25, 2008 -
35 answers
What are some reasons NOT to get a Lenovo Thinkpad R61? I'm pretty enarmoured with this laptop and I want to be sure it's a good decision.
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posted by Phire
on Jul 11, 2008 -
32 answers
I am a member of an academic committee that handles award nominations. Our job is to chose which of many internal applicants may apply for an external award. Often such awards accept just 1 or 2 applicants from a single organization. What is the most transparent and fair process for making such decisions? Alternatively, what are problems you've faced on similar committees?
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posted by about_time
on Jul 9, 2008 -
8 answers
Now that the primary season is over and major party nominees have been determined for the upcoming U.S. presidential and congressional elections, please help me find unbiased, non-partisan, impartial news and commentary outlets to follow the campaigns.
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posted by netbros
on Jun 5, 2008 -
17 answers
I'm in a bit of a jam economically. I've got to make some decisions on how to proceed. Where can I go for advice and counseling on my best course of action?
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posted by diode
on May 28, 2008 -
6 answers
I'm looking for a script (ideally PHP) to run a website which asks various questions and then suggests the 'best fit' answer, in the manner of an expert system. Examples of the sort of thing I have in mind are the Search by Sight facility at
Fonts.com or the 20 Questions game at
20Q.net (the latter uses some sort of neural network simulation, I think). Even just a decision tree tool would be good, though I guess that's more rigid. (I've seen
this thread but that doesn't seem to answer my question.) Any ideas?
posted by hatmandu
on May 20, 2008 -
2 answers
Passed on a challenging job offer for the sake of an easy life, how do I stop kicking myself? Lengthy explanation follows...
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 25, 2008 -
26 answers
