What Does it Really Cost You When You Get Overwhelmed by Indecision?

As always, I learn a lot from my kids and love sharing what I learn with you.

Today was a tough one for my 8 year old son, Noah. His big brother had a half-day of school and got to go to the Skate Park at 3pm with his friend. When I picked up Noah at 3:30 and he found out that Jonas was at the skate park, he immediately decided he wanted to go and pitched a bit of a fit that Jonas got to go earlier.

So we packed up his scooter, helmet and pads and hauled off to the skate park. When we got there, Noah was clearly at the brink of a meltdown and after 30 minutes of trying to get him settled, I finally told Noah that he was  tired and he should  come home. The poor little guy started crying and couldn’t decide if he wanted to stay or go.  It was back and forth – stay, go, what should I do mom?  I finally told him to get in the car because it’s not safe to scooter when you’re so tired.

This wasn’t the first time Noah struggled with making a decision about what he wanted to do. But what I realized as I watched him today was how much darn energy he put into not being able to make a decision. It was draining both him and me.

And I realized something else. I’m just as guilty of doing this at times as Noah.

There are many times that I’ve struggled with making a decision about my business. Should I invest in this program? Should I launch my program now or later? Should I include this as a bonus or that?  Arghh!!

I’m an extremely driven person and once I make a decision, I take off running. But it’s that state of indecision that just kills me.

So I’m going to take the advice that I gave to Noah. I told him that when he’s faced with a decision he has a choice. He can listen to this brain or his gut. His brain told him that Jonas got to go to the skate park and it’s not fair if he doesn’t get to go too. But his gut told him that he was exhausted and he should go home and chill out.

We need to rely on both our brains and our gut to make decisions. But when it comes right down to it, I think it’s most important to listen to your gut. Trust your intuition. You know what you need to do.

Above all, make a decision. Think about all the energy you waste when you don’t make a decision. Not only do you stay stuck because you’re not taking action. But you’re also putting so much energy into the mulling – energy that you could be using to help propel you forward.

Indecision is just one of the reasons that we get overwhelmed. In this month’s TALI training, I’m going to share the different reasons we get overwhelmed as entrepreneurs and simple strategies to reduce the overwhelm and increase productivity.

And be sure to leave your comments below about your own struggles with indecision and overwhelm, and any advice you may have on how to overcome it.

Thanks!