Questions To Ask Yourself Before Making A Decision

General

How long have I been thinking about this? How much time is appropriate?

Is now the right time to make this decision?

What are my core obligations?

Do I have the capacity to make good on commitments from the decision?

Will this be worth it or does it just seem exciting now?

Does this add to stability?

Do I have all the information I need to make this decision? If not, what am I missing?

Trust

Do I trust the people involved in this decision?

Risks

What risks come with this decision?

What’s the best outcome?

What is the worst outcome?

Am I in the right mindset to make these/this decision? Have I had enough sleep, food, routine etc?

Scope

Do I fully comprehend the technical aspects of this decision?

Have we set a well-defined budget, timeline and scope?

Opportunity Costs

What is the risk of not making this decision?

Shareholders

Who are the shareholders? How are we positively or negatively affecting them?

Who needs to know before I make this decision?

Ethical

What ethical considerations must I take into place?

When I am dying, will I look back at this decision for the right reasons?

What would my family, friends, and loved ones think about this decision?

Is this instant gratification or not?

What about this decision is leading me down a path of longing? What am I not content with right now that I am making this decision? How can I evaluate the validity of this decision?

Is this line with who I am and who I want to be?

Am I being naive?

Business

Is this aligned with growth/financial projections?

Is this scalable? If not, how can we make it?

Will this maintain a positive cash flow?

What do I expect the return to be on this?

Will this benefit or hurt the company/personal brand in the future?

Is this profitable? If not, why am I doing it?

Will I be able to delegate this task effectively?

Mission

Is this in line with my personal and company mission?

Is this decision in line with my short-term goals?

Is this decision in line with my long-term goals?

Focus

Is this keeping me focused or spreading me/us too thin?

Will this help me or take me out of the flow state?

Who could do a better job at this than me/us?

Should I share this publicly or not? Who might see and care?

Have I thought through this long enough? How long is long enough?

Gut

What does my gut tell me? Is my gut healthy enough to be relied on?

Frameworks

ICE