Why “good decisions” feel harder than ever
We’re living in a moment where choices are abundant, information is endless, and the consequences of small decisions can compound quickly. In that environment, “make better choices” is not very helpful advice—because the quality of a decision often depends on the conditions in which it’s made: what options are visible, what incentives are present, and who shaped the defaults.
This site is where I’ll share progress on my book-in-development, Good Personal Decisions: How We Make Them and Who Gets to Decide (expected 2027), along with ideas you can use right away. This first post introduces a simple framework I return to when I’m trying to make a decision that’s genuinely mine—not just the one the environment quietly nudges me toward.
A three-part check: Options, incentives, and ownership
When a decision matters, I find it useful to separate the question “What should I do?” into three smaller questions:
- Options: What choices do I actually have—and which ones are missing because they’re inconvenient, unfamiliar, or socially discouraged?
- Incentives: What rewards and penalties are attached to each option (money, time, status, comfort, guilt, belonging)? Which incentives are explicit, and which are implicit?
- Ownership: Who designed the environment around this decision—me, my employer, a platform, a family norm, a policy, a habit? What would change if I redesigned it?
This isn’t a trick for finding the “right” answer. It’s a way to surface hidden structure—especially the parts of a decision that feel personal but are actually engineered by context.
Try it on a real decision (10 minutes)
Pick a decision you’re currently circling—something like whether to change roles, start a project, move, commit to a routine, or say yes to an obligation. Then do this quick exercise:
- Write the decision as a sentence: “I’m deciding whether to ____.”
- List three options beyond the obvious yes/no (e.g., delay, pilot, delegate, renegotiate, reduce scope).
- For each option, write one short-term incentive and one long-term incentive (positive or negative).
- Ask: “If I owned the environment around this decision, what default would I set?” Then write one small change you can make this week.
Often the “better decision” is not a different choice—it’s a different setup. A calendar rule. A boundary. A new default. A constraint that protects what you care about.
What I’ll share here
In future updates, I’ll post short, practical pieces on decision environments, agency, and the ways modern systems shape what feels possible. I’ll also share milestones and occasional excerpts as the book develops.
A good personal decision is rarely just a moment of willpower—it’s often the result of a well-designed environment.
If you’d like, reply with a decision you’re working through (in broad strokes). I may use anonymized examples in future posts to illustrate how small environmental changes can unlock better choices.