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10-minute decision making

I was on a blogging hiatus as my laptop broke down (after a good 7 years) and I procrastinated on shopping for it. I could have blogged on my phone, but... I just like the feeling of typing on a physical keyboard. Speaking of quirks lol.


Today I purchased my second Acer laptop (hope it will last for at least another good 7 years), an Acer Aspire 5. It was a 10-minute decision on the spot. Just last week when I popped by the computer store, I was hesitant in making a purchase. So why the quick decision this time round? It boils down to one thing - I haven't gotten my criteria list ready the week before.


It could be a breeze for one to do a one glance, "love at first sight" pick, or to click on the Buy button, then take out his favourite credit card to foot the bill. A fulfilling shopping process to me, however, takes time. Erm or should I say waste of time. Because when I window-shop, I usually don't buy things.


The outcome of a 10-minute buying decision hinges on the criteria of the set intention. For example in the above, my intention was to buy a personal laptop. But but but... as I looked around the first time - everything was chic, the online and shop promotions all seemed like very good deals and I desperately needed to grab something. Ok, now hold on.


Does that sound familiar?

Doesn't the same applies to choosing a life partner? Doesn't the same applies to "shopping" for the right stocks? 


However, I held back from the purchase and decided to check back another day because my criteria simply weren't clear enough.



To be able to make a quick and good decision when the opportunity comes, we need to have our criteria list ready. 10-minute decision making isn't about how fast our brains process information, it is a state of readiness. The state of readiness stems from the criteria list and it need not be something that we come up with only when we are 'desperate'. It could be a cumulative list that we build slowly over time, through experiences and through research. So that when a good deal comes along, we will snap our fingers as we instinctively know THAT is exactly what we are looking for. 


To me, a good criteria checklist should have 3 "must-haves" (of high importance) and the rest as "good-to-have". Why just 3? Because when there are too many "must-haves", it can lead to too limited choices for us to pick from. On the other hand, too few "must-haves" and we will not end up with what we actually want.

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A couple of quotes to end my post.
"Successful business people are quick to make up their mind, and slow to change it.  They stick to their decisions and follow through. Unsuccessful business people sit on decisions indefinitely and ultimately miss out on amazing opportunities because they didn’t take action."

"Men who succeed reach decisions promptly, and change them, if at all, very slowly. Men who fail, reach decisions, if at all, very slowly, and change them frequently, and quickly. Indecision and procrastination are twin brothers. Where one is found, the other may usually be found also."
- From Think and Grow Rich
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