How to Make Smarter Choices Without the Overwhelm
Let’s be honest—decision-making as a founder can feel like a mental minefield.
One day you’re confident, the next you’re stuck in a loop of second-guessing, fearing you’ll choose wrong and set everything back.
The pressure is real—and it adds up.
But successful entrepreneurs don’t have fewer decisions; they just have better systems for making them.
This post will give you practical, low-stress ways to make smarter, faster choices—so you can keep momentum without burning out.
Let’s jump in.
1. Use the 70% Rule
You’ll rarely have all the data. Many top entrepreneurs, including Jeff Bezos, recommend making big decisions when you’re about 70% confident.
Why? Waiting for perfect information slows you down and often leads to missed opportunities. Good founders act, test, and adjust.
Don’t wait for certainty. Move when you have enough clarity.
2. Run a Pre-Mortem
Before making a big call, imagine it totally failed. Then ask: What went wrong?
This strategy—called a pre-mortem—forces you to explore weaknesses before they become real. It’s a fast, creative way to spot hidden risks and prepare better.
A pre-mortem helps shift your mindset from optimism bias to realistic risk assessment. By walking through potential failure scenarios ahead of time, you uncover blind spots, tighten your plan, and build more resilient strategies—before costly mistakes happen. It’s especially powerful for founders who tend to move fast and trust instinct.
3. Default to Action
Stuck between two options? Choose the one that leads to action and feedback.
It’s often better to learn quickly from a small misstep than to wait months for the “perfect” choice. Momentum matters in entrepreneurship. Every small action gives you real data and insights you can build on, while overthinking usually leads to paralysis. In fast-moving markets, speed of learning often beats initial correctness.
4. Keep a Decision Journal
Track big decisions—what you chose, why you chose it, and what assumptions you made. This gives you:
- Clearer thinking over time
- A record to learn from wins and mistakes
- Insight into your own patterns
Even 2–3 bullet points per decision can reveal a lot after a few weeks.
Reviewing your decision journal once a month helps you grow as an entrepreneur by showing which decisions led to which results.
5. Sleep on It—Then Move
Not every decision needs to be made on the spot. For anything emotionally charged, give it a night.
Often, clarity comes in the morning—and regret doesn’t.
But don’t delay forever. Sleep, then ship.
6. Reduce Decision Fatigue
Every choice drains your energy. That’s why successful founders limit how many decisions they make in a day.
You can do this by:
- Delegating some tasks (see: Delegation 101: Free Yourself from Daily Tasks)
- Automating repetitive choices (e.g. calendar rules, templates)
- Blocking out time for deep work and decision-making
Here are som more tips How to Avoid Burnout as a Business Owner .
7. Balance Gut + Data
Data helps—but intuition matters too. Your gut is often a summary of your experience, not a wild guess.
Ask yourself:
- What does the data say?
- What do I feel is right based on what I’ve seen?
- Can I test this quickly without betting the whole farm?
This balance builds faster, wiser decisions.
8. Know the Cost of Delay
Indecision is rarely neutral. There’s almost always a hidden cost to not deciding: missed revenue, slower growth, or opportunity loss.
Ask:
What will this cost me if I don’t decide within 7 days?
The answer often makes the decision clear.
9. Use the 10/10/10 Rule
Popularized by Suzy Welch, this rule asks:
- How will I feel about this in 10 minutes?
- 10 months?
- 10 years?
It’s a simple way to gain perspective — and separate emotion from strategy.
This technique helps cut through short-term anxiety by focusing on long-term impact. It’s especially useful when you’re tempted to react emotionally or make impulsive choices. By zooming out in time, you gain clarity and make decisions that align with your bigger vision as a founder.
10. Decide Once, Repeat Often
Some decisions don’t need to be made over and over.
- If you’ve picked your ideal customer—stick with them.
- If you have a morning routine that works—keep it.
- If Tuesday is content day—don’t debate it weekly.
Reducing repeated decisions frees up energy for what really matters.
Final Thought: Be a Decider, Not a Delayer
Great founders don’t always make perfect decisions—but they do make consistent ones. They learn faster, adapt better, and keep moving forward.
Your business is a reflection of the decisions you make today. So make them with clarity, confidence, and care—and then let the results speak.
