How to Make Fast Decisions: My Secret Tip

Wanna make faster decisions? Well, in this article I’ll give you my secret tip plus some extra ways on how you can become more decisive.

Ok, so want to know my super secret tip? It’s not actually that secret, since it comes from the popular Pacino and De Niro movie Heat from 1995.

In it, there is a scene that has always stuck with me over the years, De Niro tells Al Pacino’s character something like this:

Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner

Here’s a quick video with the quote from the movie:

Now you might be thinking: Hold on, these guys are mobsters, talking about letting everything go in case the police are coming.

And you’re right… that’s exactly the case. But you can apply that same mentality for a bunch of things in life… and I know I did, many times.

For example, a couple of years ago I was in Spain, traveling with my brother. We were on a train from Madrid to Cadiz, actually looking to rent something in the Cadiz area.

We were a couple of stations away from Cadiz station when we figured something, hold on a minute, there aren’t that many available places to rent there and also the vibe won’t be the same as in Malaga or other more non-industrial coastal cities. So we decided in just a few seconds to leave the train at the next stop.

It probably took me like 30 seconds or so to put everything together and realize it is going to be a mistake continuing the journey, so we bailed.

Now, of course, this type of thinking and logic won’t be suitable for all the things in life. You certainly can’t make a 30-second decision when it comes to your relationship with your significant other or with family members or friends.

But it is quite useful in many other areas of life such as work, entertainment, food, etc.

The whole thing is about importance. Is it really that important if I’m going to have tacos or KFC for dinner? No of course not, so then you pick the place that’s closer to you or the one less busy at that time.

Likewise… you’re home not knowing what to eat… you open the fridge, pick a couple of things, and make something out of it, it won’t matter in 3-4 hours later when you’re hungry again anyway.

I’m not kidding you about the quote from Heat. I use that many times in my life almost on a day-to-day basis… If it’s not something really important then I don’t stress about it too much and just pick something that has a quick benefit or is simpler to achieve.

But fine… I get it, you’re probably here for more sound advice than the whole: drop everything in 30 30-second spiel. So here… some generic stuff that might help you as well:

Strategies to Conquer Indecision

Set Clear Goals: Before any situation arises, know your priorities. What are your core values? What are your non-negotiables? This gives you a framework for filtering choices quickly.
Embrace “Good Enough”: Perfectionism is the enemy of speed. Aim for a decision that gets the job done well enough, rather than one that’s flawless but takes too long.
The 10/10/10 Strategy: Ask yourself: How will I feel about this choice in 10 minutes? 10 months? 10 years? This puts short-term anxieties in perspective.
Trust Your Gut: Intuition is often based on subconscious pattern-recognition. Don’t discount that initial feeling, but analyze why you feel a certain way.
Limit Your Options: An abundance of choices is overwhelming. Narrow it down immediately to the top 3 contenders for serious consideration.
Seek Wise Counsel, Not Consensus: If you need input, consult one or two trusted individuals for their perspective, but don’t keep asking until you get the answer you want.
Learn From Your Mistakes: We all make bad calls sometimes (trust me… I know). But try to analyze what you could have done better, then move on without dwelling.

So there you have 7 more practical steps on how to make faster decisions.

Bonus tip: Ask God

I know I might lose some readers here, especially non-Christian ones, but hear me out… when in doubt: Ask God. Especially if it’s something more important that you don’t know what to do about. Pray, at night, in the morning, every time you get the chance, and hopefully He will guide you.

Sometimes the answer won’t always be what you have expected, you might even feel sad about it, but you’ll probably realize in the future that it was the right outcome after all.

Live Example

This is actually pretty funny, but just as I was about to finish writing this article, I was working on the above section about prayer and wanted to include the link to my other article, when a WordPress plugin kept interrupting my workflow and started to bug all over the writing editor and I couldn’t add my link.

After 2 such occasions happened (very fast succession), I decided almost instantly that the use of that plugin is in no way form, or shape more important to me than the ability to continue my writing/editing in peace without losing my thoughts.

So I have uninstalled the plugin on the spot.

This is the kind of fast decision-making I’m talking about, and with time you will be able to spot if things are important or helpful enough for you to choose them over the “letting go” part.

In this case, that plugin’s useful features meant nothing to me if it kept interrupting my workflow.

Practice Makes Progress

Start with Small Decisions: Build your confidence by making quick calls on low-stakes matters. What movie to watch? Which route to take home?
Set Deadlines: Give yourself a time limit for decisions, forcing you to act. Start with ample time, then gradually shorten it as you improve.

Remember: Sometimes a quick, slightly imperfect decision is better than lingering with no decision at all. This also makes sense when you’re afraid of pursuing your passion or starting a new business etc.

Often times we have more to lose by not starting or trying at all rather than trying and failing.