FREE Handout: Decision-Making Flowchart (download PDF)
Making decisions can be really tricky! In today’s world with so many challenges, we are often running up against a brick wall of systemic/structural problems (e.g., there may not be enough time / money). It can be frustration that we cannot control the behaviour of other people or factors in the equation. Unfortunately, sometimes all we can do is make the least worst decision.
One exercise that can be really helpful is just getting organized about your options and your feelings about them. I made this Decision-Making Flowchart to help with this process.
There are no bad ideas in the brainstorming stage! Just lay out all the options – sometimes thinking about a “blue skies” impossible option can lead you back towards one that is realistic. You’ll find step-by-step instructions below…
About the exercise: “playing the tape forward” + “Cope Ahead”
If you’ve been involved in AA or other addictions / substance use programs, you may have heard about the strategy of “playing the tape forward to the end”. The idea is to consider all the outcomes of a situation: If I do ___, then what happens? and what about after that? Where does this leave me in the end?
There’s a similar skill in DBT called “Cope Ahead” (the “C” in ABC PLEASE). It involves looking ahead to a situation (e.g. going to a family event) & considering what you’ll need to do to cope with challenges (e.g. a family member who is often rude or triggering). You plan out what skills you’ll use initially, and then troubleshoot your way through potential obstacles to using those skills (e.g. “I’ll plan to use a DEAR MAN script to tell the family member that I won’t stay in the room if they are being rude to me. If they continue, I’ll leave the room and use my Emotional Regulation skills.“. The later steps of Cope Ahead involve visualizing yourself successfully managing the challenges that come up by using your skills!
This Decision-Making Flowchart combines those skills and can be adapted to many situations or decisions you may encounter, like deciding whether to stay in a certain relationship or job. Remember that “doing nothing” is always an option but it carries consequences that may not be helpful in the long-term. Some options might feel good in the short-term but might make things worse in the long-term! Other options might be leaving / quitting, trying to change the situation (e.g., by influencing the environment or other people), or changing how you feel about the situation.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Identify the problem / choice (e.g. “Should I quit this job?“)
- List all of your options from your current choice point
- For each option, consider what the potential outcomes are in the short-term
- Continue along each “path” – what are the long-term possibilities?
- Consider the likelihood of each outcome
- Consider how you would feel if the most likely scenarios were to happen
- If you’d like, you can even visualize each option (close your eyes, imagine you have already made a decision – what feelings come up?)
You may want to give yourself some time between the exploration of options stage and the actual decision-making stage of this exercise. You can come back later on (or the next day or week!) to choose a path once your mind has had some time to further process and evaluate all the ideas you’ve come up with.
Disclaimer: Our free resources are for general use and are not a substitute for professional mental health advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for specific guidance related to your unique circumstances. Although we make every reasonable effort to ensure that the resources we offer are helpful and accurate, we cannot guarantee reliability or efficacy.
It would be ideal to go through this Decision-Making Flowchart exercise with your own therapist, social worker, or counsellor! If that’s not possible for whatever reason, we hope this handout is somewhat helpful to you.
