Do you have trouble making decisions in your business? Do you get stuck in analysis paralysis? Are you afraid to make the wrong decision? Especially in your marketing?
Never fear. Today we’re discussing “for now” decision making—what it is and how to use it to stay in action in your business.
TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:
[01:03] The Importance of Making Decisions
[02:18] The Consequences of Indecision
[03:48] What is Decision Fatigue?
[05:26] What is a “For Now” Decision
[07:00] Examples of “For Now” Marketing Decisions
[08:27] A Caution About “For Now” Marketing Decisions
[10:27] Make Confident “For Now” Decisions
[11:45] Bloopers
The Importance of Making Decisions
[Theresa] I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know when I say that we are all making hundreds of decisions every single day.
Small decisions like what to wear, which brand of collagen peptides to buy, or what font to use on that Instagram graphic. And big decisions, like what to say on a landing page, whether or not you will hire a virtual assistant, or which tactic to use to promote your latest piece of content.
Making decisions is a necessary part of life and business. And in order to move forward with anything, you first have to decide.
This is true whether you’re making design choices, choosing a topic to write about, or making marketing decisions.
When you’re good at making decisions, there are so many benefits. Some of those are:
- Time is saved.
- Resources are used more wisely.
- Accomplishments are achieved faster.
- Progress is made.
[Meghan] To be clear, we’re not talking about right or wrong decisions. We are referring to the act of deciding itself.
Because often it’s indecision that holds you back and keeps you stuck in your business.
The Consequences of Indecision
[Theresa] We have both experienced this more times than we care to admit.
For me personally, it would play out one of two ways.
First, I’d procrastinate on making a choice because I was afraid to make the wrong one. My handy-dandy overly creative brain would dream up all sorts of imagined consequences for doing so. This led to overanalyzing and procrastination.
Second, I’d simply not make a decision at all. This was most likely to happen if there were too many options. This led to items sitting on my “todo” list for eons.
How about you, Meghan?
[Meghan] For me, I will delay making decisions for a variety of reasons, all of which can probably be categorized as fear. Even my perfectionism is rooted in fear.
Like you, over analyzing keeps me from deciding too because I’m trying to play out and work out every scenario in advance. And that leads to over complication, which inevitably leads to indecision.
[Theresa] When you don’t make timely decisions in your business or you fail to make a decision at all, there are repercussions.
Some of those are that you:
- Stay stuck
- Lose revenue
- Waste loads of time
- Have inadequate growth
- Experience unnecessary stress
What is Decision Fatigue?
So, why is it that we have difficulty making decisions? Some of the common reasons for not making decisions are depression, fear, and anxiety.
However, when it comes to making decisions in your business, you might be experiencing decision fatigue.
Decision fatigue, as explained by social psychologist Roy F. Baumeister, is the emotional and mental strain resulting from a burden of choices. This burden can be from either having too many options to pick from or it can be from simply having to make too many decisions altogether.
While the indications of decision fatigue are not clear all of the time, some of the signs could be:
- Procrastination
- Impulsivity
- Avoidance
- Indecision
[Meghan] As a solo entrepreneur, you’re doing it all, and that includes making all of the decisions.
Just making marketing decisions alone can be taxing! So, it’s no wonder that decision fatigue sets in from time to time.
If making choices becomes a sticking point, you can move forward by making a “for now” decision.
We’ve mentioned “for now” decisions on the podcast before. Theresa introduced me to this concept quite some time ago. It’s really helped me overcome fear and move forward in my business.
What is a “For Now” Decision
[Theresa] So, you’re probably wondering, what is a “for now” decision?
A “for now” decision is a choice you make for the short term. It’s something that you sort of live with for the time being. It’s not a permanent solution, but a temporary one to keep you in action and moving forward.
I was first introduced to the concept of making “for now” decisions by Marisa Murgatroyd of Live Your Message a few years ago. So, I want to give credit where credit is due. This changed the way I looked at making decisions.
[Meghan] And it’s changed the way that I look at decision making, too. It removes the permanence of how we look at the choices we make.
Typically, when you resist making a decision, part of the problem is the belief that you have to stick with the choice you’ve made.
When you put this new lens on your decision-making, it takes the pressure off to get it right the first time. It also removes the fear of making a wrong decision or of wasting time and effort.
A “for now” decision keeps you moving. It doesn’t matter if it’s the exact right choice. It’s good enough “for now.” And that certainly beats staying stuck and not making progress.
[Theresa] Yes. Because when you don’t make a decision, you can’t take action. And when you don’t take action, you can’t achieve your goals.
But out of all the decisions you must make in your business, the most important ones are your marketing decisions. Because without marketing, you can’t generate revenue. And no revenue equals no business!
Examples of “For Now” Marketing Decisions
[Meghan] I agree. Your marketing decisions are important. But you don’t have to go big or go home.
[Theresa] Absolutely true. Here are a couple of examples to clarify what we mean.
Let’s say you want to start a YouTube channel, but you don’t have the time, resources or skill set needed to make that happen right now. Your “for now” decision might be to start a blog instead.
Or, you might really want to use a tool like Agorapulse or eClincher to manage all of your social media, but those are cost-prohibitive at your stage of business. Your “for now” choice might be to look for an AppSumo deal on a similar tool.
Are you stuck in analysis paralysis? Discover how making 'for now' decisions can get you unstuck and moving in the right direction.Click To Tweet[Meghan] That’s a great example! In fact, I just made a similar for-now marketing choice, which was to invest in AppSumo’s deal on GuruCan.
In the past, I had used Teachable for my online courses. But, Teachable’s higher tier plan is too big of an investment for me at the moment. So, I opted for a lifetime deal with GuruCan, which is similar to Teachable. GuruCan had the right functionality, and it was the right price for me right now.
Anyway, the point is to avoid getting stuck in decision mode. Make a choice that you can live with right now, in the present moment.
By the way, it’s important to note that “for now” decisions are not meant to be permanent solutions.
A Caution About “For Now” Marketing Decisions
[Theresa] That’s right. So, this is a great place to add a word of caution.
As I had mentioned earlier, one of the benefits of making “for now” choices is that it simplifies decision making. However, there are a few problems that could possibly arise from using this tactic.
Problem #1 happens when all of your decisions become “for now” choices.
It’s never a good idea to allow every decision you make in your business a temporary solution. Some decisions are just too important.
For example, it wouldn’t be a smart idea to start a new business without setting up the proper legal registration and documentation. There are all sorts of legal and tax ramifications if you do that. So, making a “for now” choice here isn’t advisable. You want to get this one right immediately.
[Meghan] And, problem #2 arises when you make a “for now” decision and stick with it although it’s no longer serving you adequately. In other words, you’ve outgrown the “for now” choice, so now it’s hurting your business or preventing you from prospering.
For instance, you decide to use a free version of a WordPress plugin. But six months down the road, that free plugin is now causing you more work since it doesn’t have the functionality you need to support your current workflow.
Regularly assess your temporary choices and be willing to make changes to support your marketing productivity.
[Theresa] And problem #3 is when you don’t outgrow a temporary decision but should.
Some “for now” choices can be acceptable permanent decisions. However, sticking with a temporary decision could be a sign that you’re not advancing or making progress in your business.
For example, sticking with a free version of a marketing automation platform would mean that you aren’t growing your email list.
So, make sure you know why you’re making a “for now” decision. AND have a timeline to grow into the next phase.
Make Confident “For Now” Decisions
[Theresa] When it comes to making confident marketing decisions you have to start somewhere. As a solopreneur, staying in action by simply deciding to do something is better than staying small and stuck in the same place.
And you’ll most likely find that by making that “for now” choice, other decisions become easier to make.
[Meghan] When you’re thinking about ways to maximize your marketing productivity, decision making probably doesn’t come to mind.
But there’s no question that we can all get stumped and stalled by trying to decide what the next step is. So, embrace the “for now” decision in your business as a way to move forward…just don’t get carried away with them!
[Theresa] I second that! Well, that’s it for today!
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Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next week.
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