Time Management in Decision Making

I had 12 executives track every minute for one week. The #1 time thief wasn't email or meetings. It was deciding. Not big decisions. Micro-decisions. "Should I respond to this now or later?" "Is this meeting worth attending?" "Which task should I tackle first?" Each executive averaged 4 hours daily in decision loops. Four. Hours. That's 20 hours a week. 1,040 hours a year. 26 work weeks annually. Lost to deciding instead of doing. Here's what the quietly ambitious understand that most miss: Every unmade decision is an open loop in your brain. Every deferred choice drains cognitive capacity. Every "I'll figure it out later" compounds into paralysis. The highest performers in the study? They didn't make better decisions. They made faster decisions. One CEO cut his decision time by 80% with a simple rule: "If it takes less than 10 minutes to decide, I decide now. No research. No committee. No second-guessing." His results: - Revenue up 40% - Stress down 60% - Team velocity doubled Because here's the counterintuitive truth: The cost of a wrong decision you can correct is almost always less than the cost of no decision at all. Stop optimizing for perfect choices. Start optimizing for decision velocity. The real time thief isn't your inbox or your calendar. It's the space between knowing and doing. What decision have you been sitting on for more than 48 hours?

If you are a CEO, you make more than 20,000 decisions every day.   Almost everyone finds it hard to believe this number.   But add all the tiny decisions you make every minute.   Consciously and sub-consciously.   And you will realize 20,000 is still a conservative number.   Some studies say this number is closer to 35,000 decisions/day.   No wonder decision making fatigue is so common.     But it’s not always the massive, high-stakes decisions that paralyze you.    It’s 1000s of small ones that deplete your decision-making energy.    They clog your mental bandwidth, leaving little room to focus on the big ones.      And one of the best things you can do to reduce the decision fatigue is to go on a Decision Detox.   So you can make less decision every day.   This might seem stupidly simple, but it WORKS.   It can radically reset your energy levels and prepare you to make fewer but better decision.     Here are 3 things you can do to start your decision detox today:     → Declutter Your Decision Pipeline    Every CEO deals with decision overload because you are making way too many decisions.   If you have a decision-making pipeline, remove the less important ones from the list.   If you don't have a pipeline, build one. First, operationalize your life. Think: a work uniform, a consistent workout schedule, a food delivery service, a home assistant to handle necessary personal tasks.   Take the time out to eliminate or delegate the other least important decisions to someone else.   Ideally, do this every day before you start making the first decision.   Because this isn’t just about clearing your calendar for the sake of it.     It’s about reclaiming your brain for decisions only you can make.      → Block a slot of Decision-Making Time   The most important decisions should be made early on in the first half of your work day.   So set a slot of 60-90 minutes for Decision making.   Ideally do this as the first thing when you get to work.   And please do it before you attend a meeting.   Guard this time block like a treasure.   You can also use this block to declutter your decision making pipeline.     → Use the “One Crucial Decision” Rule    What’s one critical decision you can make today that matters the most right now?    Focus on just one move.    Make it the priority for the day.   Once you make this decision, delegate the execution to your team.    And only then move on to the second most important decision.   One critical decision at a time.     Because if you’re buried in the day-to-day clutter, you forget that you have to step back.      You forget to give yourself this space, to think clearly and make better decisions.    Yes, you have to make better decisions as a leader.     But it can only happen when you create the right conditions for your brain.     I'm curious, how do you handle decision making fatigue?   Tell me in comments. Because if it works for you, it might work for other CEOs too.  

Life rewards those who decide. Not those who wait. Here’s how to make the right call, fast 👇: 🧠 The Science of Decision-Making:  Research shows that overthinking drains our cognitive energy, reduces our confidence, and can even lead to worse decisions. On the other hand, decisive people tend to be more productive, confident, and successful.  👉🏻 If you want to speed up your decision-making process without sacrificing quality, these 6 proven strategies are the answer. 1️⃣ Set Clear Criteria:   ↳ Decide what’s most important before making the decision.  ↳ Is it speed, cost, quality, or alignment with your values?  ↳ Having a clear framework in place simplifies complex choices and eliminates options that don’t fit. 2️⃣ Use the 70% Rule:   ↳ Adopted by Jeff Bezos, the idea is to make a decision when you have 70% of the information you need.  ↳ Waiting for 90% often means missing opportunities.  ↳ Remember: No decision is perfect; most are reversible. 3️⃣ Limit Your Options:   ↳ Studies show that having too many options can lead to decision fatigue.  ↳ Narrow your choices down to 2 or 3 viable ones.  ↳ When in doubt, eliminate anything that isn’t a clear “yes.” 4️⃣ Apply the 5-Minute Rule:   ↳ If a decision is not life-altering, give yourself just 5 minutes to make it.  ↳ This forces you to trust your instincts and prevents you from getting bogged down in unnecessary details. 5️⃣ Pre-Decide with “If-Then” Plans:   ↳ Reduce decision fatigue by creating “If-Then” rules. For example, “If it’s a project under $1,000, then I’ll delegate it to my team.” ↳ This simplifies decision-making and speeds up your process. 6️⃣ Embrace Imperfection:   ↳ Fear of failure often slows us down.  ↳ Understand that mistakes are a part of growth.  ↳ Make peace with the fact that not every decision will be perfect, but every decision is an opportunity to learn. 📝 Why It Matters:   Faster decision-making means less stress, more productivity, and more time focusing on what truly matters.  It also builds confidence and decisiveness, which are key traits of effective leaders. ♻️ Your Turn:  What’s one decision-making tip that has helped you the most?  Share in the comments below, or tag someone who needs to read this. 📌 PS... “Indecision is the thief of opportunity.” - Jim Rohn 🚀 Follow Harry Karydes for more daily tips to engineer your ideal life through mindset, habits and systems.

More time doesn't lead to better decisions. It leads to more wasted time. Ever heard of Parkinson's Law? It's the idea that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. We often believe that more time equals better decisions, but in reality, it creates unnecessary delays. Yesterday, I was in a meeting with a big decision on the table. We had 3 minutes left, and someone suggested scheduling another meeting. I asked, "Why not decide now? We have all the information we need." In 2 minutes, the decision was made. Done. Moving forward. The lesson? We don't need as much time as we think. Indecision costs more than a wrong decision because it keeps you stuck. Here's how you can decide faster: 1. Gather facts quickly: ↳ Have 70-80% of the info. ↳ Trust it. 2. Challenge overthinking: ↳ No decision is perfect. ↳ Make the best call with what you have. 3. Learn through action: ↳ Create momentum. ↳ Adjust as needed. Next time you're on the fence, challenge your thinking. You'll be amazed at how quickly you can achieve results when you stop giving tasks more time than they need. Because action always beats inaction. Follow me for more daily insights on propelling your business and leadership forward.