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How I Make Important Decisions

The Nintendo Switch and new Zelda game launched this past Friday, and "addicted" doesn't even come close to how enthralled with this game I am. Between Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I would wager to say that I have put a solid 20 hours into the game already. I don't normally get like this, but... dang. This game is so good!

As you might know, I have a baby at home. She's just over two months old and is an absolute joy. Just because, here's a shameless photo of her being cute with my Nintendo Switch:


The Switch's launch and her presence honestly made for a little bit of a quandary. As much as I love my baby, I just did not want to peel myself away from this game. What should I do? Maximize my play time or spend time with her?

I approach almost all my decisions the same way. It's actually a really simple concept: What will the 80-year-old version of me wish I would have done? We all know older people either in real life or in movies convey feelings of regret about past experiences. "I wish I would have done X" is a common phrase.

When I approach decisions this way, the answer becomes quite apparent. My baby is only going to a baby for a relatively short amount of time whereas this game is going to be this game when I'm 30, when I'm 40, even when I'm 80. It's not going anywhere. Even though I did sink a lot of time into playing, I did make a very conscious effort to make time to play with my baby when she wasn't napping. (Fortunately for me, she napped a lot, hence why I got to play so much!)

Of course, this is a silly example, but the implications extend well beyond into all facets of life. For example, I'm currently looking into an online course on design thinking, but what has been holding me back is that $400 price tag. Let's extrapolate that from the "80-year-old me" perspective. When I'm 80, will I be glad I took that course or glad I saved that money? While I haven't made a firm decision yet, I think the 80-year-old me will regret not having taken that course. Sure, $400 is good amount of money, but money will always be money. The knowledge I gain as my 27-year-old self might be more valuable in the long run.

And who knows? Maybe that course will help better prepare me for positions that end up positively influencing my career path (and salary, in conjunction). That was certainly the case after I got my other certifications.

Don't let the 80-year-old you live with regret. Aspire to minimize that regret by making the right decisions today.
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