All Decisions Are State Dependent

Have you ever made a decision in a moment - whether it was changing plans, reconsidering a commitment, or changing your mind on something - only to realize later that you made a mistake? That you somehow talked your way out of doing what you actually wanted to do?

It happens all the time, and the reason why is because all decisions are dependent on your physical and psychological state. 

Every present moment brings its own set of pressures, constraints, opportunities, needs, and context. We’re always operating within an environment that’s influencing the way we think about things. This means that every decision is biased by what’s present, inside and out, when you make it.

Let’s say someone wanted to spend an hour writing their book. When it comes time to do it, whether they choose to do it or not depends on the context:

Something popped up at work that needed to be addressed…

They didn’t get good sleep the night before and they’re not feeling up for it…

They just received some bad feedback from a client and are feeling down on themselves.

Urgency, tiredness, discouragement - These are just a few examples of the different states someone could be in that influences their decision. Do they stick to writing the book or not? Is there something else that’s better to do instead?

Whatever decision they end up making could be perfectly logical. It could make all of the sense in the world, then. But was it actually the right choice?

It’s hard to say and it’s especially hard to know in the moment. That’s why if you want to be more confident about the decisions you’re making, so that you know you mean it, is to reflect on them later. 

Take a moment when you’re not being influenced by the pressures, needs, and context of the current moment to see if you agree with the decision you made.

It’s powerful. 

Because when you do that, you look at the same moment but with an entirely different, more unbiased perspective. You take the viewpoint of your highest self and see what they think about your choices, versus trusting your rationalization in the moment. 

This is my own life hack that I use to help me be more disciplined and aware of when my mind tries to pull me off track. If you want to see my process for how I do that, here it is!