How can you make decisions without forcing yourself?

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and very little acting. It’s not because I’m lazy or don’t know what to do; I know everything and am fully capable. The reason I don’t act is simple: I can’t choose. I can’t make a decision. I get caught in the trap of non-choice, where—amidst a multitude of options—making a choice and committing to a decision is the hardest part.

With this in mind, I sought answers to my questions about how to deal with this “trap of non-choice.” After all, you can’t simply *not* choose—life goes on, and that means figuring out which direction to take. But how do you make a decision when something truly important is at stake? What if the choice involves which country to live in, which business niche to pursue, or which life partner to choose? We always want to make the right choice, don’t we?

What have I noticed, especially in recent years as external circumstances have become particularly oppressive and anxiety-inducing? I’ve noticed that when faced with difficult external situations, I tend to rely heavily on logic, analysis, and rational thinking. Yet, the more I overthink things, the more I doubt myself and get tangled up in confusion. I wasn’t happy with that approach, so I decided to find other ways to make decisions—and I did. I even made a video about it for my YouTube channel:

Choose the best option while occupied with something unrelated.

In the first part of my video, I discuss a well-known experiment by Ap Dijksterhuis from the University of Amsterdam, published in 2004. It became one of the foundations of what was later termed the theory of unconscious thought.

The experiment involved students divided into three groups who had to choose an apartment. Among the four options presented, one was objectively better. The first group had to make their choice immediately, while the second was allowed time to think. The third group, however, was asked to engage in an unrelated activity—such as solving a math problem.

Which group do you think gave the most correct answers? It was the third group. Students who were occupied with something other than strenuous thinking were more likely to choose the best option. Magic, or the way the brain works?

Haruki Murakami and the Story of His Book’s Protagonist

Here’s another story from my video—this one is about a character from Haruki Murakami’s book *The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle*. It features an interesting story about the protagonist’s uncle. The uncle was a successful restaurateur who knew how to open restaurants in locations where others had failed. How did he manage it? Read the book or watch my video!

Sharon Stone and Her Muse

And the third story from the video comes from my favorite Sharon Stone movie, *The Muse*. The film offers a brilliant and humorous take on how to find inspiration. But I think the method shown in the movie is also perfect for making important decisions! And it ties in with an experiment conducted by Dutch scientists. There you have it.

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