Do you have trouble making decisions? Do you overanalyze your options for hours? Do you tend to second-guess the decisions you’ve made? These are some of the characteristics of indecisiveness.
Being indecisive means you struggle with making decisions and typically don’t have a lot of confidence in the decisions you’ve made, says Angeleena Francis, LMHC, executive director for AMFM Healthcare.
However, it’s important to remember that being indecisive doesn’t have to define you as a person. Indecisiveness is fairly common and there are steps you can take to overcome it.
In this article, we explore the characteristics of indecisiveness as well as its potential causes and drawbacks. We also share some strategies that can help you be more decisive.
Characteristics of Indecisive People
Decisive people
Have a clear vision of their goals
Trust their instincts and listen to their inner voice
Have confidence in their ability to make decisions
Make decisions in a timely manner
Take calculated risks
Take ownership of their choices
Indecisive people
Get caught up in the possibilities
Experience analysis paralysis
Seek external approval from others
Procrastinate during decision-making
Fear making mistakes
Second-guess their decisions
The Psychology of Decision-Making Strategies
Potential Causes of Being Indecisive
These are some of the potential causes of indecisiveness, according to Francis:
- Learned indecision: Indecision is not genetic, but it can be learned from parents, caregivers, or other influential figures in a child’s life.
- Adverse experiences: Feeling empowered to make decisions is achieved through key developmental milestones. Adverse childhood experiences that impact the child’s developmental process may contribute to indecisiveness later in life.
- Fear of making mistakes: Fear of making the wrong decision or the consequences of making a decision with a poor outcome may impede one's ability to commit.
- Mental health conditions: Indecision can be a symptom of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, unresolved trauma, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
What Leads to Bad Decision-Making
Benefits of Being Less Indecisive
These are some of the potential benefits of being less indecisive:
- Better time management: Indecision can cause you to procrastinate, which can cost you a lot of time. Being less indecisive can help you spend less time on decision-making and more time on other tasks, such as following through on your decision.
- Greater productivity: Making decisions promptly can save time and help you be more productive.
- Increased self-confidence: Speaking up for yourself, stating your preferences, and making your own decisions can contribute to greater self-advocacy, which can be empowering and result in increased feelings of confidence and self-worth, according to Francis.
- Improved problem-solving skills: Learning to make decisions and dealing with the consequences that follow can help improve your problem-solving skills.
- Reduced anxiety: Overthinking or overanalyzing your decisions can lead to considerable anxiety. Being more decisive can help reduce your anxiety levels, says Francis.
- Decreased feelings of depression: Self-advocacy can help you feel more empowered and in control, which can counter feelings of helplessness and lead to reduced feelings of depression, says Francis.
- Improved relationships: Indecisiveness can strain relationships, particularly if people are waiting on you for a decision or are affected by your lack of action. Being more decisive can help improve your relationships.
A Highly Sensitive Person's Brain Makes Decisions Differently
7 Ways to Be Less Indecisive
These are some strategies that can help you be less indecisive.
Understand Your Goals and Values
Having a clear idea of what’s important to you and what you want to achieve can help you make decisions accordingly. Decision-making is easier when you have a clear vision of your goals.
Spending some time in self-reflection or writing your thoughts in a journal can help you identify your goals and values.
Develop a Decision-Making Process
Francis recommends developing a decision-making process, such as writing out a list of pros and cons. If you like, you can give each factor on the list a score, depending on how important it is to you. At the end, you can tally up the scores for each option and see which one comes out ahead.
This process can help you evaluate your options, gather any further information you need, and prioritize the factors that are most important to you. If any particular factor is a deal-breaker, you can eliminate that option immediately.
Practice Making Smaller Decisions
If bigger decisions feel overwhelming, you can practice by making smaller decisions and work your way up to the bigger ones. Making smaller decisions with relatively low stakes can help you build the confidence you need to make more important decisions. This process can also teach you how to trust your instincts and listen to your inner voice.
Set Time Limits
Indecision can sometimes cause you to experience analysis paralysis, which can make it hard for you to make timely decisions. Francis recommends assigning a deadline to each decision so that you don’t ruminate over your choices indefinitely. By giving yourself a deadline, you can mentally gear yourself toward making a decision in time.
Seek Advice Selectively
While seeking advice can be helpful, limit the number of people you consult. Choose only a few trusted friends, family members, colleagues, or mentors whose opinions you value. Too many conflicting opinions can contribute to indecision.
Commit to Your Decisions
An important part of the decision-making process is following through on your decisions. “Commit to your decisions and tell others to support you in accountability,” says Francis.
It can help to develop a plan for how you will execute your decision, set a timeline for each task, and loop in other stakeholders so that everyone is on the same page. It may also help to find an accountability partner who is working toward similar goals, so you can share progress updates, motivate each other, and stay on track toward your goals.
Reflect on Your Decisions
It can be helpful to periodically reflect upon your decisions and their outcomes.
You can choose to do this in many ways. It can simply be a mental exercise where you spend a little time thinking about what you decided, how you arrived at your decision, and how it turned out. Or, you can write down your thoughts in a journal, if you prefer. On the other hand, if your decision was a work-related one, there may even be ways to quantify the results.
Reflecting upon your decisions can help you improve your decision-making process, sharpen your instincts, and make better decisions in future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is indecisiveness good or bad?
Indecisiveness is not “bad,” per se. However, it can cost you a lot of time and energy, and cause you to experience considerable confusion and anxiety.
Is being indecisive ADHD?
Indecisiveness can be a symptom of ADHD; however, it is not the defining characteristic of the neurotype.
Is indecisiveness a symptom of anxiety?
Yes, indecisiveness can be a symptom of anxiety.
Decidophobia—Understanding the Fear of Making Decisions
7 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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By Sanjana Gupta
Sanjana is a health writer and editor. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness.
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