The blessing of free choice is often closely paired with the regret of having made the wrong one. Some are insignificant -- wowza, it’s hot… I should’ve worn shorts instead of pants -- others, much more impactful -- I wish I hadn’t taken out that massive mortgage to buy that house during the bubble. Some of these are rather tricky, as you can’t accurately predict the weather or the housing market. But for the choices that we know the right answer to, but still seem to decide otherwise in the moment, there are some strategies to guide our decision-making and, ultimately, make a better choice.

1 - Decide beforehand. You know, right now, that eating broccoli and salmon for dinner is a better choice than Cap’n Crunch and potato chips. But when you’re standing in front of the fridge and the pantry and you have the choice between quick, easy, and satisfying to your sweet and salty cravings vs more time-consuming and less laden with delicious sugar and salt, the better choice isn’t the easier choice. This simple solution? Buy salmon and broccoli, not Cap’n Crunch and potato chips. If you have salmon and broccoli in the fridge and no junk food in the pantry, the decision is made for you.

2 - Make habits. If you’ve woken up at 5:15am every single day of the last 3 years to go for a walk and do some quiet reading and journaling before you start your day, is it really a difficult decision to make whether you’ll do the same tomorrow morning? Habits are our automated processes, and as we form them, it becomes more work to break the habit than to participate in it. Habits are the easiest “decisions” to make. Forming the good habit takes work, of course, but it pays off.

3 - Skin in the game. Like it or not, money tends to speak louder than words when it comes to practices that contribute to health and happiness. If you really want something and believe in it -- healthy eating, daily activity, ample sleep, whatever -- put some skin in the game and make a friendly wager with a friend or significant other. Every time you back out of your commitment to your nutrition/activity/sleep practice, it’s time to fork over the cash or buy your friend lunch. On top of this, pay for that gym membership and private training, make your goals public, or sign up for that race or competition. Better decisions tend to be a lot easier to make when you’ve got skin in the gym.

Make a better decision.

- PS

5/23/17

• 
  

  For time:

  
  




• 
  

  1 mile run

  
  


• 
  

  40 pull-ups

  
  


• 
  

  800m run

  
  


• 
  

  60 sit-ups

  
  


• 
  

  400m run

  
  


• 
  

  80 push-ups

  
  


• 
  

  200m run

  
  


• 
  

  100 squats