You’ve tried to be rigorous.

• You’re clear about your objectives.
• You’ve examined the alternatives.
• You’ve considered potential risks.

And yet, you can’t seem to make a final decision.

Around and around you go. You know you need to make a decision. But you set the matter aside once again. It nags at you. And you feel stupid because it shouldn’t be this hard. 

What’s especially annoying is this often happens for seemingly inconsequential decisions. It doesn’t take a wizard to know that if something isn’t very important and two options are essentially equal and reasonably positive, you might as well just flip a coin and get on with it. But sometimes we just get stuck. Why?

Indecision is a blow to productivity and a big source of stress, whether in business or at home. Understanding the cause and finding methods to move ahead can provide significant benefits.

There are a multitude of reasons for indecision, such as sloppy thought processes, an unwillingness to face the implications of what is clearly the best alternative, and a poor understanding of the situation, priorities and possibilities. But let’s consider the most perplexing. Let’s assume:

• You are motivated to decide
• You have appropriate knowledge and authority to decide, and
• You have been reasonably disciplined about determining the objectives, alternatives and risks.

Your process yields a toss up and you get stuck. Why aren’t you ready to flip a coin?

I think ultimately the uneasiness is telling us that we need to question our assumptions. Perhaps if we could just see the situation in a new way, the decision would be easy. And perhaps that’s exactly why we have been revisiting those objectives and our other assumptions day after day, maybe week after week, possibly at work, at home and in our sleep. The result: Indecision.

The Uncertain Upside
To escape the throes of indecision, you do need to see your assumptions in a new light. Rather than revisiting them endlessly, simply add one more step to your process. Consider the uncertain upside. Examine the two, apparently equally worthy alternatives from the perspective of what unexpected benefits might be gained. What opportunities might you gain from one or the other? Suddenly, one alternative may shine.

For example, suppose you are trying to decide whether to attend a conference. Either you go or you don’t. Your decision process came out kind of wishy-washy, leaning in favor of not going to save a few bucks and a day of time. But something about this decision makes you uneasy. However, once you consider the uncertain upside, you realize that the conference could lead to an abundance of opportunities that simply aren’t going to walk into your office if you don’t go. Yes, it may be a waste of time and money, but picking wisely and taking the risk occasionally is a good idea. But somehow, your original list of objectives never mentioned this idea. That original list was more about this particular conference – topic, cost, location and timing.

If you find yourself caught in the throes of indecision despite your best efforts, be sure to consider the uncertain upside. You will likely vindicate your uneasiness and discover an important dimension not reflected on your list of objectives.