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	Five Tips To Help You Make Up Your Mind

	by Ellen Hankes

Make Up Your Mind! As a mom, I sure said this phrase many times! How I wish now, in hindsight, that I limited the CHOICES of cereal for a sleepy child on a fast-paced morning.

NOT JUST FOR ADD-ERS

Making up your mind is all about DECISION-MAKING. Judith Kolberg and Kathleen Nadeau wrote a wonderful book called ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life that deals with this issue. While the suggestions are directed to those who live with Attention Deficit Disorder, the recommendations are helpful to the general population. Their book addresses how individuals can IMPROVE decision-making with on their own, with help from friends and family, or from professional advice. Consider these ways to help make decisions:

GIVE YOURSELF A TIME LIMIT

For example, if I have not found the right color of trendy green ribbon to use in my Christmas decorations by Saturday, I have decided to put up my existing seasonal decorations. Setting a time limit on when I will continue to receive INPUT on decision-making helps me to actually make the decision -- when I hit that deadline, the choices stop and I have to pick.

LIMIT THE NUMBER OF CONSIDERATIONS

When my good friend and I get together for the rare lunch, I don't want to waste our precious time on debating over extensive menu choices. My rule of thumb is to limit the mind-boggling number of choices by choosing the top menu item. Limiting the number of choices means I have more time to spend on what is IMPORTANT to me -- conversation with my friend.

SPREAD OUT MULTIPLE IMPORTANT DECISIONS

Life-changing events such as relocation, change in marital status, and loss or addition of a family member are stressful in themselves. Each of these events requires many decisions to move forward. It is easier to make appropriate decisions when only ONE of these life-events is addressed at a time. We know that is not always possible so get help from family, friends and professionals when you are overwhelmed -- so simply focus on one issue at a time. When you've made your decision about that one, move to the next.

ALLOW YOURSELF TO STOP

Many of us want things to be PERFECT for those we care about. We keep searching for more information. We continue to tweak to improve our work product. We lose sleep over things that are not too important in the grand scheme of life. When we give ourselves permission to stop the process, we are making a decision to move forward

ESTABLISH MILESTONES FOR LARGE PROJECTS

My sister and I recently started an old quilt documentation project. We didn't accomplish the entire project in the day but we made progress toward an INTERMEDIATE milestone. Satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment are achieved when a project is broken down into parts and milestones are identified.

DON'T SECOND-GUESS

It's easy to QUESTION your choice once you've made a decision -- was that the right or best choice? Should I have done something differently? You can wear yourself out playing devil's advocate for every other possible option. Once you've made your decision, allow yourself to be satisfied with that choice, knowing it was perfectly ACCEPTABLE. That's all anyone can ask for in life.

KNOW THYSELF

Spend some time observing how you make decisions. Recognize your pitfalls, traps, and tendencies. Learning more about YOURSELF will be helpful in Making Up Your Mind!

Ellen Hankes is an Independent Organization Consultant/Coach, Speaker and Author for Calahan Solutions, Inc. -- Productive & Organized -- We'll Help You Find Your Way. You may contact Ellen at or 309.826.5263 or visit the website at www.calahansolutions.com.

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