Sleep on it.

If its romance related, jerk off. Makes sure you're thinking with the right head.

If it can wait a day, take a day, sleep on it. Let your brain ponder as a background process.

I see a lot of useful replies here.

I prefer to answer to 4 simple questions, helps me have a clear idea without overcomplicating:

• What success looks like. Be concrete: “in a year I want X”. If you can’t say it, probably it's not the right time for the decision.
• The risks. What could go wrong, and how bad would it be? Money, time, people affected.
• The known issues. The problems you can already see today and are choosing to accept.
• The way back. If it goes wrong, how do I undo it, what would it cost, and when will I check? Put a date on it, like “in 3 months I review this”.

The fourth point helps you to determine how "big" the decision is. If it's easy to reverse, decide fast. If it isn’t, slow down, sleep on it, and talk to someone who has already done it.

At minimum, I spreadsheet my big decisions. I put in all my known factors: budget, TCO, alternatives, a weighted list of pros and cons (weights according to factors important to me or ability to solve the problem at hand), etc.

For really big decisions, I build a decision tree with dynamic branches. For example, when buying my most recent house, i had inputs for interest rate, points, house inspector rating, cost to move my sailboat to my house, average luminous flux received, etc. Data in these fields adjust other fields like TCO and budget, which then shift the decision tree one way or another.

It's excessive, but I do it this way to help me avoid missing some big variable.

I tend to think about all options in their wost case scenario (if everything goes wrong), and then check which of the options at their worst I would regret more, and go for the one with least regret.

I look at all of my options, select 1, and then wait at least 2 days to think through whether it's the best move. If a stable plan starts coalescing around that option within that time, then it's a winner. If not, I reconsider the other options, but usually the plan changes the initial options anyway.

This may seem excessive, but due to this extensive planning time, I can usually make good snap decisions when the plan falls through

Study the Art of War

I have had people unironically ask me "how can a guy writing about a battlefield apply to my problem? Go away."

I promise, if you want a solution to a problem, it is applicable.

Assign heads yes, tails no. Flip a coin, catch it, cover it. Ask yourself if you're hoping to see heads or tails. Don't look at the coin flip result. Do what you were hoping for.

im future focused so im kinda in a constant state of wondering about possible future decisions I have to make. The more possible and imminent the more I think about it till the decision is made. so not pro tip but more obsession sharing. sorry.

Long term, have a set of ideals for what you want out of life. Your list will be different than others and that is ok.

Short term, identify the costs of the decision. Include opportunity costs for making different decisions. Try to frame the decision, including keeping the status quo, as a cost you are paying for a benefit.

Also, try to have an idea on the overall cost of making the decision is. A lot of people get into analysis paralysis because they try to make the best decision when the time and effort in making the best decision is most costly than making a good decision.

I'm using this :)

Ugh... .ml...

Don't overthink, just go with you first gut instinct.