009: Decision Dilemma! Do these 6 Research Steps First!
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Show Notes
The best decisions are informed decisions! In this episode, I walk you through 6 research steps to ensure you're approaching your decision with a proper perspective and background information. This is part 1 of a 2-part series on envisioning how each option in your decision will play out. Research is the first step, so you have a good knowledge base as the foundation for your decision.
Links Mentioned:
· Three Decision Instincts: Anchored Decisions podcast, episode 1
· Questioning to Confident General Decision Guide: www.anchoreddecisions.com/decisionguide use code “podcast” for 10% off your purchase
· Show notes: www.anchoreddecisions.com/9
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Transcript
Hey, Hey, welcome back to the Anchored Decisions show. Today is part one of a two-part series on how to envision what the outcome will look like in your life when you're facing a big decision. So today, part one, we are talking all about research, so how to conduct proper research to make sure that you're making an informed decision. Research can be really, really beneficial for figuring out what it could look like down the line, whether you choose option A, B, C, whatever you're facing. So tune in as we go through the six steps to proper research.
And also while you're at it, please hit subscribe so that you're sure to tune in every week as new episodes drop, which is on Thursdays. And if there's an episode that you feel one of your friends or family members would really connect to or need, please share this with them. Encourage them to listen so that they can make better decisions as well.
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So how do we make good decisions when we just don't know what the outcome will look like? That's one of the hardest parts of making decisions, what makes people so fearful over decisions. And what makes people get stuck and not want to make a decision is because they just don't know what it's going to play out like. Are they going to like the decision they made or not? Are they going to be happy with it? And unfortunately, we don't have a crystal ball, so there is no way to really fully know what it's going to look like. But there are some steps we can take to help in that process, to help make it a little clearer, which option we should take and which option we'll like, which path we should take, and which one we'll be happy with, or at least which one is the wise choice for us and our circumstances, our situation. So today, as I said in the intro is part one. And we're going through the research phase and then in part two, which will be next week, so make sure you're subscribed so you catch it, we will talk about how to actually envision yourself in the scenarios of these options.
So for your research, I have six different steps you can take, you don't have to do all of these. You can kind of pick and choose, see which ones make sense for your situation, but you should be doing some type of research. And the bigger, the decision and the harder, the decision, the more research you should do.
Step 1: Visit the Space
So research step number one is to go visit this space. So this obviously isn't for every type of scenario, but let's say it's a house hunt or a new job, a college or school, maybe it's an assisted living facility for an elderly family member. Go take a look, walk around, see what it's like in person.
So you can watch all the YouTube videos you want, but there's nothing like seeing things in person and getting a real feel for it. So keep an open mind here as you go around doing a tour, visiting the space of whatever this decision is.
My brother is currently in the process of house hunting, which kind of inspired my thoughts for this episode. And I was talking to him about, okay, envision your family in the space.
And as you grow and start to have kids, and when you go to entertain and have our family over, we have 20 people in our family now, and he and my other brother haven't even started having kids yet. So. It could definitely grow. So for the research part, when you're going through a house, go visit it, spend some time there, don't rush the tour. Take a walk through the neighborhood, not just the house. Walk through some of the common areas of the neighborhood, if they have a gym or a pool, a playground tennis court, something like that. Just see what are the people like here? And maybe talk to them and just see if they're friendly. You can also visit at night and during the day so you can get a feel for how things are.
If you're looking at a job, ask for a tour while you're conducting your interview. It'll show your interest in company culture, as well as give you an idea of company culture. So it's kind of a win-win for you that you are showing yourself as interested in more than just the paycheck to this employer, by wanting to see what the culture's like and get an idea of behind the scenes.
And for some job situations, especially for teenagers that are starting their career search, see if you can shadow or even volunteer at a company. I know my sister, Jamie who's in dermatology now as a physician's assistant, she was in urgent care and she started just kind of shadowing and I think almost even volunteering at a dermatology office one day a week in order to make sure she liked it. And also it got her foot in the door with the doctor and then she got hired on and she's been in dermatology ever since. And so that was a great move for her to not only make sure she liked it, but then also get that connection made that jump started her career in dermatology.
So maybe if it's a college, a school that assisted living facility for your family member. Go in and spend some time there. Just chill in the hallways, walk around. Chat with people.
If you're looking for a church, a lot of churches offer online services or recordings of their sermons and their worship sessions. So go and take a listen. And then for church hunting, I do advise that you still go into the church as well, because you can get a real feel for the people by going in that's different than just watching a sermon online.
And then what I want you to keep in mind over all of this is to make sure you're using all three of the decision instincts in this process. Go back to episode one of the Anchored Decisions podcast and I talk about the three decision instincts and that's your head, your heart and your gut. You want to make sure that you're well-rounded and making use of all of them here because your initial gut instinct, when you walk into a place might say, "Nope," but that could just be fear speaking or a bad first impression. So if it's helpful, go back a few times at different times of day or nights or the weekend versus weekday and just see how it feels.
Step 2: Do a Test or Trial
Alright research step number two is to test things out. So when I was straight out of college, I landed a position as a CEO's assistant. It was kind of like the Devil wears Prada. I call it, the Devil wears Nike because it was a guy who was into soccer. And I was driving this old Pontiac Grand Am. It was black with black tinted windows, so as a young girl, I thought it was such a cool looking car. But this thing was El cheapo, a lemon, whatever it was, constantly having issues. And every time I drove it at this point, I wasn't sure if I would make it home or to my destination. So as a CEO's assistant, I needed a reliable car. And I did my research and I found the car that I thought was perfect for me. And then I went and test drove it. And I hated it. The gas pedal, you kind of needed to push your foot down on it instead of kind of on an angle, like most gas pedals. You'd be like above the gas pedal, and pushed down. And that just felt so funky to me. Maybe it was just that year and not every model of that car, but I couldn't stand it. So testing things out, no matter how much research you do, a lot of times, once you actually get in person, try it out, you'll discover whether or not you like it. And once again, you want to give it a fair trial because sometimes you might test it once and it's just different or you haven't gotten to know the interface yet.
If it's a software, maybe you need to do some tutorials first. Before you just ride it off, but go and start testing things out. As I mentioned software. So many softwares have free trials available. So go in there and test things out, play around with things. If it's a membership to maybe a gym or a spa, you could ask for a free or discounted week before signing up for a full membership.
And even if you do have to pay for the trial, it'll save you a whole lot more money to pay up front a little more expensive rate for a one month trial or one week or one session, than if you pay up front for something that you haven't tested out and then you don't end up liking it and can't cancel at that point. So also — side note — look into the policies on things before you make a purchase or before you make a commitment.
And that way, sometimes you get six months free trials of it could even be a bed I've seen mattresses where you get like, a six month period of testing a mattress. And so if you get that trial, that really helps give you a feel because sleeping on something overnight is a lot different than going to a mattress store, lying down for five minutes and choosing the bed that you're going to sleep on for the next 10 years. So do a trial. Do a test. Give it time. You know, change typically doesn't feel good. And did you know, little nerdy side note, because I love psychology that our pupils actually dilate when we see something familiar or something we like. It's the brain's way of saying, ahhh you can relax a little, this is nice. So when you're in an unfamiliar environment, when you're trying something for the first time, your body is on higher alert and you're less likely to enjoy it and to want that. You want to go back to your default of what's comfortable, what you know, what you've experienced in the past, which isn't always a bad thing. But when you are trying new things, when you're looking for something new, don't ride it off just because it's uncomfortable.
Step 3: Talk with Others with Experience
All right. So step number three in your research is to talk with people who have been there, done that, and already experienced the thing that you are looking to do. So the best way to know what something's like is to experience it yourself. But the second best way is to talk with others. If you can't experience it yourself, then talk with others. Maybe it's a vacation and you're not going to spend thousands of dollars to fly across to Europe to quote unquote, test it out. Before you actually commit to a vacation? No. Like you either go to Europe or you don't. So if you want to hear about what it's like and tips for that experience, go talk with people who have been there before and traveled to the places that you want to go to.
So one thing to keep in mind when you're talking with people with experience is to know who you're talking with. What are their goals, desires, beliefs, what do they like? And is it the same as things that you like? My one sister lives in a super social neighborhood. The neighbors get together a ton. They throw these awesome fun parties and get togethers. They have a big 4th of July bash that everybody comes out to. And it's perfect for her because she and her husband are really social people. They enjoy entertaining. They love the big scene. And that's fun for them. They love that neighborhood. It's a great fit. So if you ask them what it's like living on their street and whether you should buy there, they would probably say, "oh, it's awesome. It's so fun." But maybe there's an introvert living on their street who likes their privacy more than socializing. Maybe they hate hearing loud music from the neighbors at night and they don't care to get to know their neighbors. That person might say their street's a nightmare and they can't wait to move.
So think about the perspective of who you're talking with. Are they aligned with what you are looking for, what you like? And there's still things to learn from people who have a different perspective than you, but don't let them sway you if they have a biased perception based on their preferences that are different than yours. So always dive deeper into why people like or dislike something. You know what happened with their experience and get to the root of it. Try to ask questions. Don't be shy here.
I always find it funny when I'm reading Amazon reviews or reviews of a product. And people leave it a one-star review because the package was all beat up and the thing broke. It was like that wasn't the fault of the product. That was the fault of the shipping. So get a new product in and then give it a review and say whether or not it's a good product, not based off of the beat up shipping, but based off of the actual product.
So definitely read the reviews. Don't just look at the stars and make sure that you're talking with people with the experience. And not just, you know, taking it as, "oh, I didn't like it." And no explanation there.
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Hey friend, are you facing a big decision? Maybe it's whether to go back to work, whether to let your mother-in-law move in with you, or should you have another baby? Whatever your big decision is, It's time to stop stressing over the decision, stop losing sleep over wondering what to do and make your decision with ease and confidence.
You need my questioning to confident decision guide to help walk you through my signature decision-making framework, the SAIL method, which will help you sail through your decision. That's self-awareness, impact and litmus test to make sure you have covered all of your bases and make an informed decision based off your preferences, passions, personality, priorities, to make sure you're making the best decision for you.
So head on over to anchoreddecisions.com/decisionguide to grab your copy today and use code “podcast” at checkout for 10% off your order.
Now, back to the episode.
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Step 4: Read Reviews
That leads to research number four, which is to read reviews. So, as I just mentioned, you want to make sure that you're actually looking at the reasons why, and not just the number of stars. Because that helps you get a perspective and feel for the actual product.
As you know, from episode one that my decision instinct is to make decisions based off my heart: how I feel, what makes me feel good, what looks good, and not necessarily what is factual and fact-based. But my husband, who is a head-based decision maker and so much better than me at looking at reviews. He is all about reviews. And sometimes he gives up because consumer reports will be saying one thing and that's supposed to be the most legit reviews. I mean, you have to pay to get the full reports. And then Amazon or a blog will be saying the opposite. So you really do have to pick and choose which reviews you're going to accept. You know, sometimes people pay people just to leave a review.
And so you see a product with like thousands and thousands and thousands of reviews versus the competitor. Maybe they were just paying people to give them a five star review so that they could get like a $50 gift card. Uh, which I have heard of companies doing. I received one in the mail at Christmas time for a product that I bought for my brother.
And I waited until I got the review from my brother before I posted a review about it, because I didn't want to just make something up to get a $50 gift card. And they haven't sent it yet. So it might even be a scam. So just make sure that you are reading carefully and picking and choosing which reviews you are trusting based on what seems legit or sources that you trust.
If it's a person that you know that's giving you this review, that's probably a little more trustworthy than just a random person on the internet.
So, if you were doing research for careers or jobs, you could look on forums or look on glass door, which people can leave reviews for their employers. If you're moving to a new area, search some Facebook groups for that area and ask questions in the Facebook groups. I often see people posting to the Palm City Connected Facebook group, or I'll be at a playground and someone from out of town asked me, what are the schools like here? That's good for them to ask a local because we have firsthand experience and we can give a true review. When one of my sisters was house hunting, she found this house in the city up from us that was a beautiful house and it was right across from this beautiful school. But then she found out that her kids might not necessarily be able to go to that nice school. They might be sent 45 minutes away to a school in a not so great area because of the zoning of that district. And so you want to make sure you find those things out ahead of time.
Step 5: Seek Mentorship
All right, number five is to seek mentorship. So even Moses sought wise counsel. His father-in-law came to him and gave him some advice that you are taking on way too much yourself. Moses was being the judge over the people. And it was taking people way too long to be heard and seen by Moses, plus Moses was taking on the burden of every single little court case and trial that some were super tiny, just like silly matters that didn't need to be handled by Moses. And his father-in-law said you need to set up systems where some people are over a hundred thousand and then some are over a thousand, some over 50, and you have people that can take on the smaller cases and then any big ones go further up the line.
And Moses listened to that counsel and it made his life and the Israelites lives so much better. So if Moses, who is one of the greatest leaders of all time, would seek counsel and take the counsel from others. Then you should too. So seek out mentors or professionals who have insight and experience into this topic that you are trying to make a decision on.
You know, if it's a financial decision or a medical decision, that is something that just the average person might not be able to answer for you. Your mom, your dad, your friends, they might not have a good informed decision. So I was asking people for this podcast, what are some questions that you have for me, some decisions you're struggling with? And somebody asked, "should I medicate my child for ADHD?" And if you're listening and you know who you are, then I'm sorry that I haven't answered this yet, but this is not a question that I personally can help you work through. I can give you the steps and the process for how to work out that decision.
But part of that process is to find a medical professional that you align with their values, and that can look at your specific case and your child and help you make a plan for your family individually. So some things you just have to go to the right person for advice.
Step 6: Get Educated
And then finally, number six is to get educated. So read books, listen to podcasts or Ted talks, read qualified papers and articles. Once again, be careful what the source is. There's so much on the internet these days, that it's hard to know exactly what you should believe in and what's truth. And people... they kind of tweak and change the results and the data. I mean, if you've ever taken statistics class, you know that people can pull one little stat out, that's kind of out of context. But it's quote unquote truth. But it's only a half-truth. So make sure that when you are getting educated, look into the background of the person that's giving the advice and what do they believe? What is their stance on things, their perspective, what research was done? If it's something with statistics, where did they pull the data from? And what was their research size? You know, if you're conducting this survey and you only talk to 50 people, is that really a big enough sample size to give you an idea and are those people representing the right group of people to even be in that study?
So make sure you're just super careful here, but getting educated can be a great way to take the next step with this decision. I know for me, I love listening to podcasts and just diving into what people who have been there done that have to say. So sometimes getting educated means maybe not listening to an expert, but listening to stories of people who have gone through that decision before. If you're looking at renovating your house, which is something my husband and I are about to do, talk with people who have just been through a renovation and say, "Hey, what are some tips? What are some advice? What should we do and not do what companies should I go with?" Things like that that will help you make so much better of decisions.
Well, that covers all of the six steps to doing your research before making a decision. So let's go over the 6 steps for conducting proper research for your decisions:
Visit the space if possible and if relevant.
Do a trial or test it out.
Talk with people who have experience in that area.
Read reviews from reliable sources
Seek mentorship
Get educated
I hope that you found this valuable and that you are able to go out and make some really informed decisions, do your research, and just feel more confident in your decisions because you laid the groundwork for a really good decision and make sure you tune in next week, I will be sharing of how to take all of this research that you've done and then go envision what your life will look like if you took each path of that decision: option one, option two, option three. So tune into that.
See you next Thursday for that episode on envisioning how that decision will play out, depending on which option you choose.
Thanks for listening all the way to the end. If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of it and post it to social media, making sure to tag me at anchored decisions, or share it with a friend. This helps me know which type of content to create more of, and gives me the opportunity to connect with you as a listener outside of your earbuds.
See you next week for another episode.