We’re Constantly Making Decisions

Decisions are a fascinating part of life. The starting point of any decision is a problem or uncertainty for which we have at least two options to choose from. Each year, we make around 12 million decisions. That’s up to 35,000 decisions per day, ranging from trivial ones—“What kind of coffee?”—to more significant ones—“Should I change jobs?” We make approximately 1,450 decisions per hour and around 24 per minute. But how many of these decisions feel truly empowering? How often do we decide consciously and with clarity, rather than being driven by time pressure, habits, or the opinions of others?

Why Decisions Often Feel Difficult

It’s no surprise that many decisions weigh heavily on us. The brain is a master at analyzing options, but it has its limits. “Cognitive overload” occurs when the number or complexity of choices overwhelms our working memory. This effect is amplified by phenomena such as the “too-much-choice effect,” where an abundance of alternatives leads not to freedom, but to confusion. Too few options make us unhappy, but so do too many.

Stress is another factor that complicates decision-making. Under pressure, we activate ancient stress responses: fight or flight. In today’s professional world, this often manifests as impulsive action or procrastination. Add to that the fear of making mistakes—a feeling heightened by societal expectations and concern about consequences. Every decision comes with a trade-off: saying “yes” to one option means saying “no” to another. Then come the doubts. What if one of the missed options was better? Choosing the wrong vacation destination is manageable, but what about choosing the wrong career?

Good News! We Can Learn to Decide

Empowered decision-making is not an innate talent; it’s a skill you can develop. The key lies in first gaining clarity about yourself. The old saying remains true: even not deciding is a decision. Sometimes, it’s better to make a choice rather than passively waiting out of fear of the consequences. If a decision turns out to be the wrong one, we can always choose differently. Nonetheless, we can learn to make decisions that feel more empowered and right for us. How?

We need to know where we want to go, why we want to go there, what we want, and how we envision our lives. Only then can we align our decisions with these goals.

Navigating Difficult Decisions Requires a “North Star”

A personal North Star serves as a compass, representing long-term values, standards, aspirations, goals, and growth desires. It provides orientation, helping us make decisions not just for the moment but with our long-term goals—both professional and personal—in mind. It ensures that we remain aligned with what truly matters to us.

How to Make Empowered Decisions

• Narrow the Decision Space:
  A clear “North Star” sets the direction. When we know what is important to us, we can align our decisions accordingly.

• Reduce Stress:
  Stress blocks the ability to think clearly. Emotions like fear or anger stem from evolutionary patterns and are rarely helpful in modern decision-making. By practicing stress management—whether through mindfulness exercises or short breaks—we can regain cognitive capacity.

• Use Emotions as a Resource:
  Emotions are often faster than rational thought. Positive emotions, such as joy or curiosity, can point us in the right direction. Negative emotions, on the other hand, signal options that may require further reflection. Our body language often says it all: a decision might feel like “a weight in the stomach,” cause “headaches,” feel “crushing,” or leave us “torn apart.”

• Focus on the Long-Term Perspective:
  Decisions should not only be made in the context of the present moment. Instead, it helps to ask, “How will this decision feel in two weeks, three months, or five years?”

• Use Coaching:
  A neutral sparring partner, like a coach, can help expand or refine the solution space. Through creative questions and perspective shifts, valuable alternatives can be identified that may not have been initially apparent.

The freedom to make difficult decisions is an expression of our human ability to shape our lives. Decisions shape our identity. Difficult decisions, therefore, are not just a burden but an opportunity to define and strengthen our values and priorities: Who do I want to be? By consciously choosing one option over another, we actively shape our identity.