{"id":5721,"date":"2020-08-27T14:54:15","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T14:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/?p=5721"},"modified":"2020-08-27T15:05:15","modified_gmt":"2020-08-27T15:05:15","slug":"making-a-t-and-checking-it-twice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/2020\/08\/27\/making-a-t-and-checking-it-twice\/","title":{"rendered":"Making a T and Checking it Twice"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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For most of us, making major decisions is difficult.\u00a0 It\u2019s supposed to be that way, otherwise we\u2019d all be running around recklessly, and the world would be an even crazier place!\u00a0 It does appear that for some making big changes is an easier, more comfortable, confident and success-inducing process.\u00a0 So, what\u2019s our secret?\u00a0 Is it possible to improve our abilities despite the uniqueness and infrequency of major life changes?\u00a0 I think so.\u00a0 While I cannot offer a magic bullet, I am happy to share some simple strategies I\u2019ve collected and implemented through my experiences.\u00a0<\/p>

Since I\u2019ve just made a significant decision, a career change, the process is still top of mind.\u00a0 To further state my qualifications, my wife and I have bought and sold 4 homes in the last 10 years, had 2 children, 4 career changes, and everything else that life\u2019s thrown at us, and made steady progress through it all.\u00a0 Through experience the big decisions become easier to make, but I believe the simple process we use is what\u2019s allowed us to thrive amidst change.\u00a0<\/p>

So, life places an opportunity or crossroads in your path\u2026what do you do?\u00a0 We make T\u2019s!\u00a0 Not tied-dye T-shirts, but T charts on paper.\u00a0 T-Charts<\/strong>\u00a0are a type of\u00a0hart or graphic organizer\u00a0in which a person lists and examines two facets of a topic, like the pros and cons associated with it, its advantages and disadvantages, best case and worst case scenarios, etc.<\/p>

Applied to major decision making, a T-chart can be used to help graphically organize thoughts about:<\/p>

  • Comparing resulting advantages and disadvantages<\/li>
  • Evaluating the pros and cons of a topic<\/li>
  • Enumerating the problems and solutions associated with an action<\/li>
  • Explaining the strengths and weaknesses of an opportunity<\/li><\/ul>

    Creating T charts to help make a decision is not an exact science.\u00a0 Many can be quickly done using a single T, even in one\u2019s head.\u00a0 You probably already go through a thought process like this but somewhat unconsciously and without structure for the smaller decisions you make regularly.\u00a0 For bigger decisions, and ones for which a clear decision doesn\u2019t surface quickly, many T charts may be necessary and you may need to work on them for a while before reaching a final decision.\u00a0 I find the process of actually writing them out helpful.\u00a0 Writing is slower than thinking and inherently evokes more reflection and thoughtfulness, plus its easier to review with clarity.\u00a0 The process also helps put you in tune with and clarify your goals, risk tolerance, opportunity costs, and timing relative to whatever change you\u2019re considering.\u00a0 To expand on this:<\/p>

    • Goals<\/strong>. Consider how the proposed change moves you toward or away from your relevant life goals.\u00a0 Is retirement by 55 a key life goal?\u00a0 Is spending time with your family the top priority?\u00a0<\/li>
    • Risk Tolerance<\/strong>. This one is where a lot of anxiety can surface.\u00a0 Many major decisions and changes carry risk.\u00a0 My current career change for example takes me from a salaried compensation to a full commission with no guaranteed income.\u00a0 To assess my risk tolerance, I created a 6-month financial plan and played worst case scenario to see how much risk I could afford to take without putting my family\u2019s well-being in jeopardy.<\/li>
    • Opportunity Costs<\/strong>. This is the potential cost of picking one path over another.\u00a0 Opportunity cost can be tricky to assess, because it\u2019s forward looking, a projection.\u00a0 If I stay the course, where will it lead me?\u00a0 This is where I lean on the Best Case\/Worst Case Scenario T charts.\u00a0 Compare these for each option and you should be able to see what you\u2019re potentially giving up by making one choice or another.<\/li>
    • Timing<\/strong>. Timing can be everything, it\u2019s extremely significant for big decisions.\u00a0 Will this opportunity ever present itself again or is it a once in a lifetime situation?\u00a0 That question alone has a major impact on opportunity cost and risk.\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>

      Ok, some other advice.\u00a0 Don\u2019t rush it; the bigger the impact of the decision the more time you should spend making it.\u00a0 Include others affected by the choice in the process.\u00a0 Get feedback from your advisors and mentors, or a trusted friend or family member.\u00a0 Practice does lead to improvement, try to use this process for some small and medium sized decisions so you\u2019re better prepared to use it for the next big one.\u00a0 I hope you\u2019ll find it useful.\u00a0 Thoughtful and logical decisions will give you greater confidence and conviction in your decisions, limit second guessing and reduce stress.<\/p>

      Here\u2019s hoping we all make as many of the right decisions as possible (however you personally choose to define them) and make steady progress towards our goals.\u00a0 Thanks for reading over the last 6 years, you\u2019ve helped and supported me more than you know.\u00a0 In my experience, the teacher nearly always learns more than the student.\u00a0<\/p>

      Live well, prosper, and get better every day!\u00a0<\/p>

      Love the Sales Cyclist, Support Soigneur, Disrupter, and Man Behind the Curtain.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      For most of us, making major decisions is difficult.\u00a0 It\u2019s supposed to be that way, otherwise we\u2019d all be running around recklessly, and the world would be an even crazier place!\u00a0 It does appear that for some making big changes is an easier, more comfortable, confident and success-inducing process.\u00a0 So, what\u2019s our secret?\u00a0 Is it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[718,504,976,979,977,978],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMaking a T and Checking it Twice - REMANU<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/2020\/08\/27\/making-a-t-and-checking-it-twice\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Making a T and Checking it Twice - REMANU\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For most of us, making major decisions is difficult.\u00a0 It\u2019s supposed to be that way, otherwise we\u2019d all be running around recklessly, and the world would be an even crazier place!\u00a0 It does appear that for some making big changes is an easier, more comfortable, confident and success-inducing process.\u00a0 So, what\u2019s our secret?\u00a0 Is it […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/2020\/08\/27\/making-a-t-and-checking-it-twice\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"REMANU\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-08-27T14:54:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-08-27T15:05:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/08\/ru473.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Rhythm of Reman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The Disrupter \" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/2020\/08\/27\/making-a-t-and-checking-it-twice\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/2020\/08\/27\/making-a-t-and-checking-it-twice\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"The Rhythm of Reman\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/#\/schema\/person\/324daf6b244ef5d3c67e0ec761579224\"},\"headline\":\"Making a T and Checking it Twice\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-08-27T14:54:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-08-27T15:05:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/2020\/08\/27\/making-a-t-and-checking-it-twice\/\"},\"wordCount\":844,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"decision\",\"decision making\",\"opportunity cost\",\"pros and cons\",\"risk tolerance\",\"t chart\"],\"articleSection\":[\"attitude\",\"Reman U articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/2020\/08\/27\/making-a-t-and-checking-it-twice\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/2020\/08\/27\/making-a-t-and-checking-it-twice\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/2020\/08\/27\/making-a-t-and-checking-it-twice\/\",\"name\":\"Making a T and Checking it Twice - 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