100 questions
Improve your decision-making process by using piercing questions to:
- connect what you’ve learned to what you need right now
- distil your experience into factors that influence your choices
- probe past experiences for clarifying clues
- uncover gaps and blind spots that may skew your selection
- get honest with yourself about why you’re at a crossroads.
How I ended up creating this list
There are plenty in-depth resources that help you improve your decision-making process. I know this first-hand from having studied the topic while doing the How do you know? podcast (and well beyond it).
It’s natural to accumulate information in search of that magic formula that highlights the best choice available in any situation. However, gathering concepts and perspectives doesn’t always translate into better actions and choices in real-life scenarios.
That’s because it’s very difficult to transform knowledge into behavior change. Since life is not clear-cut, there is no perfect framework for making decisions, which leaves it up to you and me to figure out how to apply what we learn.
To build and improve my own (replicable) decision-making process, I felt the need for something even more practical than learning from decision-makers who successfully navigate complexity, change, and the most surprising aspects of life.
Having worked with great mentors, coaches, and therapists, I noticed the power of great questions that create space for thinking, provide opportunities to process emotions, and help cultivate alignment.
That’s when I started collecting and curating them, while also validating their helpfulness by using these questions to figure out my own dilemmas.
Because I believe in sharing what helps time and again, I put them all together in a list I can go back to anytime I need help to find patterns, answers, hints, and new possibilities.
I hope it’ll help you achieve the same and even more!
“Great resource Andra, there is so much in there, I’m going to have to print this out as there are some really great questions to facilitate deeper thinking… great article and a valuable resource!”
Kevin Booyens, Content Strategist & Writer
Why I care so much about decision-making
While doing the altMBA in 2017 (Seth Godin’s incredible educational experience), I felt particularly drawn to decision-making.
I immediately noticed that was a gap in easily accessible resources on the topic, the kind that anyone can use without spending months studying it. (This gap has been since filled with really great work by some dedicated people!)
It also became clear that decision-making is a process that combines my interest in psychology, neuroscience, anthropology, and other disciplines that study human biology and human behavior.
So I became invested in my mission to understand how people make big, life-changing decisions and also small, seemingly unimportant choices that snowball into life-altering outcomes.
So I set out to do what I do best when I need to expand and deepen my knowledge of a topic: I read, I talked to people who do it well, and I tried to apply all of it to my context.
Case in point, this led me to clarify the obstacles people face when trying to make better choices for their digital security and online privacy. Decoding the needs behind their frustration, confusion, or detachment has made me more empathetic and has given me more opportunities to serve them.
That’s one way studying decision-making has significantly improved my life. I hope this list of 100 questions will guide you to choices that support you in kinder ways as well!
“What an amazing and comprehensive list you’ve set up, Andra! The real challenge now is choosing the best ones to look into for your particular situation.”
Lucian Grofsorean, Brand Designer & Strategist
“To improve your decision-making process asking good questions and writing down your answers is important.
This will create space for conscious thinking and it will make it easier to review the quality of your decision-making process after some time. Andra compiled a great list of 100 Questions to improve your decisions.”
Erno Hannink – Decide for Impact
Sparring and accountability partner for entrepreneurs
Ready for the deep dive?
Here are 3 resources to start with:
- 45 lessons I learned from doing a podcast on decision-making
- How treating feelings as facts skewes your decision-making process
- What triggers us to make decisions against our better judgement
But, first, download yourself the list. Print it. Use it. Make it yours.
