My friend and colleague, Debs Jenkins, got me thinking with one of her recent newsletters. She proposed the idea of keeping a Little Book of Big Decisions. The idea is to record your decisions and periodically review them to see if you are making the same decisions over and over or letting important decisions languish. Intrigued to learn more about my own decisions, I took out a 5×7, placed it on the edge of my desk, and started my list…

Two weeks later, there was still only one entry on the list. An entry that I guess includes two decisions. As I sat down to write this newsletter, I added one more: Continue sending Clear Thoughts every month without fail as I have for over fifteen years!

Why is my list so short?

Is it because I am unwilling or unable to make decisions? Or do I take my decisions seriously and can’t imagine adding anything that isn’t a true commitment with specific actions and deadlines that I will honor entirely?

Is it because I am unambitious? Or does my short list mean I have finally learned the power of a few, crystal clear priorities to keep me focused on what matters most and to prevent me from feeling frustrated, slow, undisciplined, unhappy, and all those other feelings that eat at us when we can’t ever seem to accomplish enough?

My short list doesn’t even mention the book I’m writing! Not even after I hired Debs to give me feedback and keep me from doubling back to edit before the full first draft is complete.

Why wouldn’t I consider a significant project like a book to be a decision? Because I haven’t committed to finishing it by a particular date. Nor have I committed to writing every morning for two hours or writing a minimum of 500 words every single day or some other scheme. A decision has to be specific. A decision is a commitment. I work on my book when I can as long as it doesn’t interfere with the three commitments on my list.

My list still sits on the edge of my desk with its three decisions, unchanged by another week. I like what it says to me. It feels good to be clear about what matters. It feels great not to kid myself with dreams that melt into frustration. It is wonderful to let go of things that I know I will never get to and probably didn’t ever really want to do anyway.

My short decision list has also shrunk my To Do list. Because, for each decision, there is usually only one next step.

What does your list of decisions look like? Are they wishes or commitments? What do they say to you?