“Never leave the scene of a decision without taking an action.”
-Tony Robbins
I’m a serial decision maker. I take a special joy in making grandiose proclamations about my new life choices.
For me, these decisions are usually related to drastic eating changes and how I’m going to magically have a beautifully decorated and perfectly organized home with a clean sink.
I’m quick to make decisions. Sometimes I haven’t thought them through. I like how the concept sounds; it resonates with my spirit and bam – I’m vegan. I’m running 44 miles a week. I can only have a certain amount of items on surfaces in my room.
By the time the reality of my new way of life sets in, I’ve considered what it means to give up my favorite meal of bacon and eggs, and I’m back-pedaling.
I then find myself trying to remember if there were people around me and in earshot when I decided that I was no longer eating cake or cookies. People that could potentially hold me accountable to my new lifestyle.
The problem with my proclamations is that I’m usually going from 0 to 100 on day one. I’m an all-in type person. There’s nothing wrong with that. I hit a lot of the goals that I set for myself.
Tony Robbins says, “Never leave the scene of a decision without taking an action”. My MO is never leave the scene of a decision without declaring victory and letting everyone know about it. I just might be over-indexing a bit.
So, what could it look like to pair decisions with appropriate actions?
Systems
I like systems. By systems, I mean steps and processes that support an objective that you want to achieve.
If you say that you want to cook fresh meals four nights a week, what systems are in place to help you do that? Cooking four nights a week takes more than just intention. It takes action, too. When will you plan what you’ll cook? When will you buy groceries or order from a meal service?
Deciding what you will no longer do.
An awesome thing is to know what you won’t do. That counts as an effective action. If you have made a decision to spend less time working, not using your laptop in the family room could be an effective action.
Write it down
Before you leave the scene of the decision, determine what action it requires of you. Once you determine what actions you need to take, write them down. What will you do, when, and how. I like writing my actions in my planner. I look at my weekly goals and objectives and if I’m really excited, I write them on my whiteboard.
You could type it up and put it in the notes app on your phone. The point is – memorialize the decision by writing down the actions.
It’s okay to let everyone know about your big decisions and plans. Pair your decisions with appropriate actions.
If you don’t, you’re just shouting in the wind.
