How to make your decision-making more effective?

What is decision-making in general?

Decision-making is the process of making choices by identifying a decision, gathering information, and assessing alternative resolutions. This skill is crucial for any kind of job, especially in entrepreneurship. What is inside this Pandora’s box? Let’s dive into the science.

There are more than 90 billion neurons in the human mind. Ants, with undoubtedly complex behavior, have only 500 million dogs — 2 billion electrically active cells.

Each neuron has many synapses — places of junction between two identical nerve cells or a gland or muscle cell. Since being more interested in mental processes, the following discussion concerns only neuron-neuron electricity transmission.

The combination of neuron cells and synapses is called a neural network. The more complex the network is, the more intricate the background is

The whole nervous system can be divided into several parts, according to their functions:

• Sensory division
• The somatic and visceral motor division
• Sleep-wake cycle system
• Needs and emotion division
• Learning processes and memory
• Thought, language, decision-making division

Different patterns of behavior are based on interactions between these parts. Information from sensory division and needs are the main information sources for the part, related to thought activity. After the decision has been made, the motor division does the action and, again, the sensory division checks the result and the consequent emotional state, which is based on the productivity level of an action. Headquarters does the analysis and the pattern that was used in this iteration gets another mark of usefulness or loses some points in the memory. To put it another way, the mind collects the dataset of action patterns, which are productive and positively reinforced (as an emotional response). This algorithm is quite simple, but some interesting features can be used to enhance the effectiveness of an action.

Features for the effectiveness of an action

Insight #1: All needs are fighting in the battle of getting attention from the headquarters (decision-making division).

Firstly, being insecure in basic biological needs fulfillment decreases the probability of considering work goals. The mind chooses the dominant need and does the action toward its satisfaction. For example, the time is close to lunch and a hunger center of mind would have been signaled about it if only the boss had not come and reminded about the deadline. What is more, the predisposition to any kind of activity is based on the personal need hierarchy. That is to say, talents and the structure of human personality are dependent on the innate ‘mindset’.

Insight #2: The best algorithm takes it all.

According to the information from sensory division, division of needs, and emotions, the headquarters chooses the most suitable pattern for the situation. If the productivity decreased, the mind would take this algorithm with a lower probability into consideration and the other one would be likely chosen to follow. An equally significant aspect of decision-making is that repetitive actions are presumably taken because the brain is more or less familiar with the result. However, this leads to disrupting synaptic connections of skills and knowledge that are not often used or sitting still because of waiting for new information. In other words, training the mind as if it was a muscle is one of the components of success.

In the final analysis, the key aspects to effective decision-making are based on understanding that a person, despite the position in the hierarchy in the company, is a biological creature with his or her natural traits and needs.

Tips to enhance the decision making

Tip #1: Get enough sleep, eat well, and do not make decisions fast. The best actions are taken after a good sleep. During the night, the mind takes into consideration the information from the past week and day and subconsciously thinks about the problems.

Tip #2: Change the type of activities during the day. Due to the reason that all kinds of neural systems are connected, sports and other kinds of physical activity can provide a person with a new skill and will keep the mind flexible. Also, it can reduce the level of short-term memory load. After a break, the information will be sorted and the decision-making will be more effective.

Tip #3: Eliminate the distracting factors. Despite the multitasking boom and increase in the number of people supporting this concept, it scatters the mind. Concentrate on the current tasks without scrolling through social media and chatting with colleagues.

Tip #4: Work and business should be important and make the person happy. This provides the mind with positive emotional reinforcement and the patterns of learning something new or doing the job would be saved and repeated over and over again. For some people, it may be hard to define their vocation. Nova, our AI companion, can help them find the personal route to success, understand their inner needs and establish the path to productive decision-making.

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Each person’s method to make effective decisions varies as much as the person’s personality. The decision-making process sometimes seems mysterious, but it is a whole science. Now you know a little bit more about it!