Deciding to decide
Developing a Decision making strategy
We are making decisions about our health all the time, everyday whether or not we are consciously aware of them or not. Knowing when we are making these decisions and then anticipating them as far into the future is the key to your success.
The way we make these decisions and knowing what kind of decisions we are making gives us the most opportunity to achieve our goals based on our preferences not circumstances.
The decisions we make fall into 4 general, interconnected categories.
Proactive: These decisions we have anticipated and are part of a plan.
Reactive: These decisions are made because of circumstances.
Conscious: These are decisions that we know are a choice among different options.
Unconscious: These decisions that we do not readily recognize are choices.
Proactive VS Reactive
Proactive decisions: These decisions are pre-planned and designed to accomplish a specific goal. They empower you to influence your health positively.
When working to accomplish a plan (reach a goal) anticipation of what is coming and then making choices about that plan, before anything happens, gives us the most control over how that decision plays out. If you are traveling by plane, for example, you can anticipate being without healthy food for the time you are at the airport and in the plane.
If having healthy food on your trip is a priority, you will need to make a list of what you want, how you're going to pack it and how you're going to eat it. Without a proactive plan you might find yourself eating pizza out of a cardboard box with bottled soda.
If you make your choices proactively you are in control. You can have a healthy snack or meal packed in your carry on and be ready to go; cheaper, tastier and more healthy.
Reactive decisions: These decisions occur when we respond to situations as they unfold, without prior planning. They dis-empower you to influence your health positively.
We are faced with reactive decisions when we wait until circumstances force us to make a choice. For example, you ended up working late and know that making a home cooked meal is not going to happen. So you pull into a fast food restaurant and get a burger. If had anticipated this situation you could have had a healthy soup or chili in the freezer that could be heated up in minutes.
We cannot anticipate everything and sometimes going with the flow is part of the fun. But, when possible, recognize that reactive decisions limit your opportunities to support your health.
Conscious VS Unconscious
The second step in the process is to understand when we are making a decision. I know this sounds too simple. We always know when we are making a decision, right?
No. Sometimes we do know we're making a decision and sometimes we don’t. In other words, some decisions are conscious and some are unconscious (most decisions about our health are unconscious).
Conscious decisions: We recognize that we are choosing one thing over a list of potential options.
When we are deciding how to proceed, like making a choice on a menu in a restaurant, we are aware of the different options open to us and then make the decision based on what we want.
For example if you choose a salad over a burger you get a healthier option but it may not be your favorite meal. If you decide, on the other hand, to get the burger you get your favorite meal but it’s not the healthiest option.
Either choice one can be valid based on what you want to achieve with the decision. It’s not about the “rightness” or “wrongness” of the meal. It’s about making an informed decision based on your priorities.
Unconscious decisions: We DO NOT recognize that we are choosing one thing over a list of potential options.
When making decisions we do not always get a menu of potential options to choose from. For example, when you find yourself sitting on the couch watching TV you may not recognize that you you are making a decision NOT to go for a walk, play with the dog or do some gardening. Yes, somewhere in the back of your mind you realize you could be doing something different with your time but that thought is vague and the force of habit is going to quash it almost every time. (That is why behavior change is so hard).
Another example is when we drive around the parking lot to get a spot closest to the door. We are making an unconscious decision NOT to park in the back of the parking lot and get a few extra steps in.
Unconscious decisions are often a result of habit. We generally do what we have done in the past. It’s not that you don't want to support your health with the decisions you make, it's more that we miss all the other options because we are not used to considering them.
How the decision types work together:
proactive + unconscious: This is the ideal situation. You have gotten so good and consistent at being proactive you make most decisions without having to put much thought or effort into the process. (This takes practice.)
proactive + conscious: This is a good situation. You have anticipated as many decisions as possible and have put effort into crafting a strategy to use those decisions to meet your goals.
reactive + unconscious: This is the worst of the options because you have relinquished almost all decision making control and are left with whatever remains. As options decrease they get less and less healthy. This situation is to be avoided.
Work towards mostly proactive + unconscious decision making It may seem at first that in order to be proactive you MUST be conscious of the decisions yet to be made. But, what you will find is that when you get good at anticipating and planning inmost circumstances you will automatically prepare for many of the decisions that would otherwise have to be made reactively.
Tool box: Use a journal to learn about how you truly make most of your decisions. Write it out. You may be surprised to find that you have the opportunity to gain a lot more control over your health simply by being proactive and conscious with your decision making .
This is not a perfect world and perfection is NOT the goal.
In a perfect world we would always be able to peer into the future and make the best decisions ever conceived of. But that is not going to happen all the time.
But, it can happen some of the time. Being healthy is a long term, ongoing project. It’s a game of progress not perfection.
Thinking back to our examples; Sometimes sitting on the couch is really what you want to do. Sometimes it’s raining out and you really do need to get as close to the door as possible. Sometimes travel is hectic and grabbing something at the airport is the best thing. And, sometimes a convenient meal at the end of a long work day is welcome. Absolutely, for sure. I get it. Me too! But make those decisions consciously and embrace what you truly want.
When you develop a proactive and conscious strategy for decision making you will be better able to recognize all the options you have available and then give yourself the longest list of healthy options to choose from based on your goals & preferences.
