The Power of PreDecision

Last night was my turn to make dinner. It had been a long day and I was already drained from all the decisions made and emotions managed throughout it. So the mental energy required to compose a recipe that would satisfy the four other members of my family while not dirtying every dish in the kitchen was exhausting. And then I remembered: there was meal plan menu on our family whiteboard. Monday night: spaghetti and meatballs. Problem solved. Dinner was on the table 30 minutes later.  Because I had taken the time earlier in the week to make pre-decisions on what dinner would be for the following 7 days, I was spared the agony of starting from zero every evening.  A pre-decision helps overcome this very particular challenge: we don't begin because we don't know what to do first. We don't have a consistent social media strategy because we haven't pre-decided what the content for the next 30 days will be.

We don't have consistent 90 days strategy reviews because we haven't pre-decided which KPIs will be evaluated.

We don't have a consistent workout routine because we haven't pre-decided what sets-and-reps scheme we'll use.

A pre-decision saves your brain the mental calories required to overcome inertia and helps you get started. You're plan doesn't have to be perfect; it has to help you move in the direction you want to go. And that's the important thing: movement in the direction of your goals. (Turns out, no one liked my meatballs. That's okay, the meal plan for next week will benefit from that). What area of your life of your life could benefit from a pre-decision? 

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