How to make faster and better decisions

Intro: Decisions compound

After college, I realized that my decisions compound over time and ultimately decide who I’ll be later in life. So I wanted to be intentional and ensure my decisions moved me to my end goals. For example, the decision to go to the gym rather than sit on the couch and watch tv might seem negligible at the time, but repeatedly doing this throughout my 20s develops an unhealthy lifestyle. Once I discovered this, I searched for a solution and discovered that I needed to align my priorities with my long-term goals to make the right decisions. 

What are priorities?

When I say priorities, I mean an ordered list of values that reflect what is important to me and lead me to my end goal. My end goal in life is to be the happiest version of myself. The values that are important to me and lead me to my end goal are 

1. Health & self-improvement → Physical, mental, and educational
2. Established relationships → Family and friends
3. Helping others → ScatterMind and my career
4. Have fun & create memories! → Socializing, Traveling, Eating good food, etc.

My health comes first because if I’m unhealthy or dead, I can’t do all the fun things like raising a family, changing the world, or traveling. Next, if I don’t have anyone to work for, motivate me, or celebrate with, then what’s the point of working so hard? Next, if I’m not doing something meaningful like helping others, how can I say that I used my time wisely? Lastly, I have to have some fun and create memories. 

Why are priorities important?

Understanding my priorities allows me to make decisions easily and ensure my life reflects what’s important to me. For example, during Thanksgiving week,  I woke up after Thanksgiving and started to plan my day. At first, I thought, “I gotta get to work ASAP.” But then I paused and realized I hadn’t been to the gym in 2 days. For a moment, I was stuck, but I quickly referred to my priorities and threw on my gym clothes. Shortly after, I was at the gym. Setting and ensuring my priorities reflect my actions ensure I reach my destination. When I didn’t set my priorities, I struggled with these things

• Making decisions
• Staying consistent with my actions
• Reaching my goals
• Developing good habits 

How I established my priorities?

When I set my priorities, I asked myself: 

• What things are important to me? 
• What is my end goal? 
• What are the keys to reaching that end goal? 

Ultimately, I started at my end goal and worked backward. Think of it like making a cake: 

1. What do I want to make? → Decide to make a cake
2. Check the ingredients
3. Follow the instructions

Important: I followed my priorities

When I don’t internalize my priorities and follow them, I run into challenges and arrive at the incorrect destination. Each decision is a vote for where I want to go in life. So, I ensure my actions mirror my priorities. The easiest way to do this is to build a schedule that reflects your priorities, especially health.  Since health is the biggest priority, I built my schedule around that. I plan my weeks by mapping all my health tasks, and the time I have leftover is for relationships, work, and fun. If I don’t make time for high-priority tasks, they will be consumed by work or Netflix. With a plan, I’ll know what needs to get done and cut out time to make the important things happen. If you need some help, check out my routine below.