We finally reached our breaking point last month. After watching a friend waste three weeks trying to decide which online course to take – making spreadsheets, texting us daily updates, asking everyone’s opinion – he ended up missing the enrollment deadline for all of them.
You know what happened next? Nothing. Another six months will pass before he takes action on something that could have immediately improved his life.
This pattern isn’t rare. We see it everywhere, including in ourselves. The inability to make clear decisions and stick with them might be the single biggest obstacle between where we are and where we want to be.
But what if there was a way to dramatically strengthen this mental muscle in just 10 minutes a day?
What Actually Happens When We Can’t Decide?
Indecision isn’t just annoying – it’s expensive. Really expensive.
Every time we waver between choices, we’re burning mental energy that could be directed toward implementation. We’re creating inner friction that drains our motivation. Most importantly, we’re teaching our subconscious mind that commitment is dangerous.
In Napoleon Hill’s classic work, he observed that successful people make decisions quickly and change them slowly – if at all. Meanwhile, unsuccessful people do exactly the opposite.
This isn’t about being reckless or stubborn. It’s about recognizing that forward movement – even with occasional course corrections – beats perfect planning every time.
The cost of indecision goes beyond lost opportunities. It creates a habit loop in your brain that weakens your ability to trust yourself. Each time you delay a decision or second-guess yourself, you’re essentially telling your subconscious: “I can’t be trusted to choose well.”
Not a message we want reinforced, is it?
The 10-Minute Decisiveness Training Practice
So here’s the daily practice we’ve been using (and teaching) that’s showing remarkable results. It takes exactly 10 minutes – set a timer – and works like strength training for your decision-making muscles.
First, grab a notebook or open a document on your phone. You’ll need to write.
Step 1: Spend 2 minutes listing every small decision you’re currently putting off. These should be low-stakes choices like which book to read next, what to cook for dinner tomorrow, or whether to reorganize your desk this weekend. Aim for at least 10 items.
Step 2: Set a timer for 5 minutes. During this time, make every single decision on your list. Write your choice next to each item. The key rule: you get a MAXIMUM of 30 seconds per decision. If you feel yourself wavering, immediately cut your deliberation time in half.
Step 3: Spend the final 3 minutes scheduling exactly when you’ll implement each decision. Be specific – Tuesday at 7pm, not “sometime this week.”
That’s it. Ten minutes that will gradually rewire how your brain approaches choices.
The magic happens because you’re practicing decisiveness in a low-risk environment. You’re building the neural pathways that make decision-making feel natural and even enjoyable rather than stressful.
Why Can’t I Just Decide Important Things Faster?
You might be thinking, “My problem isn’t deciding what to eat for dinner – it’s the big life choices that paralyze me!”
Fair point. But decisiveness is a muscle that doesn’t distinguish between big and small choices. The mental process is identical whether you’re picking a movie or a mortgage.
By practicing with low-stakes decisions daily, you’re building the mental pathway that makes all decision-making more efficient. Think of it like weight training – you don’t start with 300 pounds. You build up gradually.
That’s why our decisiveness training focuses on small choices first. As your confidence grows, you’ll naturally apply the same principles to bigger decisions.
One participant in our program started with tiny decisions – which route to take to work, what podcast to listen to next. Within three weeks, he finally made the career change he’d been contemplating for two years. The muscle was the same; he just needed to strengthen it first.
The Unexpected Side Effects of Decisiveness Training
Strengthening your decisiveness creates ripple effects we didn’t anticipate when we first developed this practice.
People report sleeping better. Makes sense – fewer decisions spinning in your head at night.
Relationships improve. Partners and friends appreciate someone who can say “let’s eat here” instead of the dreaded “I don’t care, whatever you want.”
But the most profound change? Self-trust skyrockets. When you repeatedly make decisions and survive the outcomes (even imperfect ones), you build confidence in your ability to handle whatever comes.
One woman in our community noticed that after just two weeks of the 10-minute practice, she stopped texting friends for validation before making ordinary choices. “I realized I trust myself now,” she said. “And it feels amazing.”
Another unexpected benefit: you’ll start recognizing decision avoidance for what it often is – fear disguised as thoroughness. Many of us hide behind “doing more research” when we’re actually just afraid to commit.
Make This Practice Work For You
A few tips to maximize your results with the 10-minute decisiveness training:
1. Do it first thing in the morning when your decision-making energy is highest.
2. Don’t judge the quality of your decisions during the exercise. The goal is to make them quickly, not perfectly.
3. If you notice yourself resisting a particular decision day after day, that’s valuable information. There’s usually deeper fear or conflict there worth exploring.
4. Track your results. After two weeks, you’ll likely notice you’re making decisions faster in real-time situations without even thinking about it.
5. Gradually increase the significance of the decisions in your practice. By week three, include one or two medium-stakes decisions in your daily list.
Remember, this isn’t about making reckless choices or ignoring important information. It’s about strengthening the mental pathway that allows you to process information efficiently and commit without unnecessary delay.
When To Put This Into Action
If you want to experience the benefits of decisiveness training, start tomorrow morning. Not next week, not when you feel more organized or less busy.
Most people who read about this practice never actually try it. They put off deciding to begin. (See the irony?)
This practice works because it’s simple, quick, and focused on progress rather than perfection. The first few sessions may feel uncomfortable – that’s normal when strengthening any underused muscle.
But within days, you’ll start noticing changes in how you approach choices throughout your day. Within weeks, people around you will comment on the shift in your energy and effectiveness.
Decisiveness isn’t just a personal trait – it’s a learnable skill. And like any skill, it improves with deliberate practice.
So grab that notebook, set your timer for 10 minutes tomorrow morning, and watch what happens when you start training the muscle that moves your life forward.