Your Gut, Brain, and Voice
The simplest model for decision-making I've
There’s a subtle order of operations for good decisions.
You do it all the time but you probably don’t think of it like this.
Let me give you a little context first and then I’ll explain.
I have a big wooden plank on my wall. Engraved in it are some rules I’ve set out for myself to follow. The point isn’t to always follow them and never fail, that’s impossible. It’s useful because it allows me to recenter myself when I get knocked off the horse. It just makes me faster at getting back up.
Follow your gut.
Anyway, rule #10 is “To avoid regret, follow your gut.”
Some people would argue that you can’t always trust your gut and you might not make a good decision if you’re only relying on your own perception—and that might be true some of the time.
But the point isn’t always to get the right answer. In this case, the rule is designed around avoiding the unending, long-term pain of regret. It’s the most relentless thing I know exists.
We can get past wrong decisions. We can make mistakes and realize that we didn’t have all the information to make a good decision. That happens all the time. The hard part is when you knew, in your gut, that something was wrong but you did it anyway. That’s the hardest decision for which to forgive yourself.
But following your gut is just the first part.
It’s your first point of reference in decision-making. The next one is your brain.
Bring in your brain.
Once you have a feeling about a decision, it’s time to consult the brain. By “brain,” of course, I just mean your conscious thought. Just to clarify for all you neuro-nerds out there, emotions come from the non-conscious* part of your brain. Abstract thought and critical thinking come from the conscious part.
(*Side note: it’s non-conscious or subconscious. Unconscious means you’re asleep.)
Your gut isn’t useful for processing. It’s more like a compass. It doesn’t tell you how to get where you want to go, it just tells you which direction to point toward. The brain is useful for pulling out the map, looking at the terrain, and figuring out how to make it happen.
Decision-makers get into trouble when they reverse these. If you’re letting logic tell you what your heart feels, you’re up Shit’s Creek with no canoe. And if you’re letting your heart dictate tactics, you might find yourself under- or over-prepared.
Finally, there’s one more part of processing that is critical for decision-making, and that’s your voice.
Use your voice.
For some reason, most people have experienced this but don’t recognize it as a fact.
Saying something out loud helps.
This is called verbal processing. Since you speak slower than you can think, speaking out loud (to yourself or a friend) helps you more closely evaluate your thoughts. In fact, if you’re speaking to someone else, this effect is enhanced, because not only are you evaluating your own thoughts—but you’re also evaluating how someone else is evaluating those thoughts.
Whoa. Meta, I know.
The point is, talking to yourself, journaling, or phoning a friend are all ways to help you process your thoughts and decisions to get to a better outcome.
Recap.
The first step of good decision-making is listening to your gut and understanding how you feel about a decision. Does it feel good? Does it feel bad? That’s it. The next part is where you loop your brain in to evaluate “why?” “Why don’t I like this?” “What is so good about this that I am feeling this way?” Finally, using your voice to verbally process those theories, ideas, or concerns helps you refine them, ultimately making you more confident.
Gut.
Brain.
Voice.
Now that you’re aware of these steps, it’s up to you to use them intentionally.
Do you have other models for decision-making? What else works for you that’s not included in these 3 pillars?
Thanks for reading.
