How To Make Decisions Like a Type A Person

My husband and I are currently renovating a 1901 farmhouse. There is nothing like the pressure of investing your life savings in a place and making choices that you will have to live with for, most likely, forever. But we are doing it without too much mental stress.

I am a Type A, decisive, personality. It's true that I am well programmed to make decisions quickly and well, but there are learnable skills involved! You do not need to be Type A to make decisions like a Type A. Here is the process I use to make good decisions quickly:

First things first

To plan a wedding, it makes no sense to pick your bridesmaid dresses first. What time of year will it be? Evening or afternoon? Will they need a warm layer?
To plan a wedding you first need to pick a date if you want to make good choices for everything else.

For most every decision you make, there is a logical first thing you need to know before you can make other decisions well. This is, surprisingly, where I see a lot of people procrastinate. It is so tempting to get bogged down in details, and fail to begin, when that first logical step seems so concrete and real. Don't give in to temptation!

Have a deadline

You cannot be deciding on something forever. Pick a date/time, write it down, and stick to it.
I do this for everything! I know when I should be done reading a book, so I can easily break down a daily page goal to complete the book by that date. I set deadlines for myself for deciding what to wear (it might only be a 5 minute deadline, but sometimes I need that!).

Deadlines do not need to be stressful! Especially if I am making a tough or emotional decision, I think of the deadline as the end of having to hold this difficult thing in the front of my mind. The deadline allows me to set that thing down and walk away. Deadlines are mentally freeing!

Narrow what you are choosing between

You are not honestly choosing from the entire paint catalog! There are only so many realistic options. Don't look at options that do not fit your home, are out of your budget, or are unavailable. That's an unnecessary mental expenditure.

I use goal numbers to choose most things. If I can narrow it down to three choices, it is phenomenally easier to choose between them than if I was holding up every paint chip in the collection to hem and haw over.

Don't ignore the obvious

Sometimes there is only one logical choice. It's ok not to have something to choose between when the choice is clear and there is only one option! Don't dig for trouble where there is none.

Only consult relevant parties

You do not need to ask everyone and their mother what they think about your latest gardening options. I believe in only considering the thoughts and opinions of relevant parties. This will likely be your spouse, a manager, anyone you are paying to help you with this choice, etc.

Tell people what you are choosing between if you wish, but if you struggle with making decisions perhaps hold off. Don't let your head get noisy with opinions that should not carry weight.

Commit to your choices, write them down

Find a method of committing to your choices immediately once your decision is made. Maybe you email your spouse, write it in your journal or planner, text your mom. Find a way to put that decision in writing. I find that writing my thought down brings it into the real world and helps me feel less emotive about making a choice.

Live the choice

You've made your choice, now let it go! Break your mental struggle cycle. I think the #1 strength of the Type A person is the ability to have confidence in a decision well made. This is a learnable skill!
Recognize when you are mentally starting to question your choice and remind yourself of why you made the choice you did. If your decision making was sound, so is the decision.
Learning how to let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no, is very freeing!

What are your tips for making good decisions? Do you use any of these or are your strategies different from mine?