This worksheet accompanies our Ultimate Guide to Making Choices. Please read the post before downloading the worksheet. We recommend downloading and printing the worksheet, but you can also use the plain text version here.
Plaintext Version
Answer the following questions. Don’t skip ahead.
What are the top most important things I need this decision to get right? Think about your must-haves and the things you can’t be happy without. If you have fewer than 4 answers, that’s ok. The fewer answers you can put here, the better.
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List your options. Don’t forget the false dichotomies we talked about earlier.
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What are the most compelling reasons to consider Choice 1? If you have fewer than 4 answers, that’s ok. The fewer answers you can put here, the better.
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What are the most compelling reasons to consider Choice 2? If you have fewer than 4 answers, that’s ok. The fewer answers you can put here, the better.
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Now fill out this table. Don’t add more rows — “most important” really means “most important.” If you can, try to use fewer than 4 rows. Then add your most compelling reasons to consider each choice. Try to line them up with your most important things list. Only use your answers from the questions above. Do not try to come up with more answers just to fill out the table.
How to calculate your results:
Likely, one option fits best with your most important things list. That’s the option that is most likely to lead to the best result for you — especially if you’ve followed all the rest of the suggestions in this checklist.