Deliberate decision-making is challenging and often stressful. As a result, the brain reacts to this stress, withholding necessary cognitive resources and preventing the decision-maker from completing the process.Rest assured, the tool is meticulously designed to bolster your brain’s natural decision-making process. Each step is a supportive hand, releasing cognitive resources and maintaining an Up-regulated state. It’s a 20-minute journey, a reasonable time frame for your brain to stay sharp and focused, free from the onset of fatigue.

It’s natural to feel uncertain and stressed during decision-making.  Decision-making is difficult, and if it is too complex or challenging, the brain’s default response is to revert to old habits and resist change.  If the decision is complicated, the brain will become fatigued and it will turn to more enjoyable tasks.  If you find yourself distracted, checking sports scores or browsing for deals on Amazon, you may be down-regulated. Look out for these signs to recognize when you’re not in an optimal decision-making state:

The Automatic System tends to:	You might be saying to yourself or others:
Quick Impulsive Decisions	“Get it off my plate; just get it done.”
Reliance on Intuition	“It feels like the right approach.”
Simplified Reasoning	“The easiest way is the best.”
Emotionally Driven Decisions	“I’m happier when I do this.”
Less Detailed Processing	“Generally, it will work.”
Repetition of Previous Solutions	“Try the old way again and see if it works.”
Increased Reliance on Heuristics	“Using the rule of thumb”
Reduced Mental Effort	“Going through the motions like always.”
Resistance to Change	“The old way was good enough, you don’t need something new.”

If you or your co-decision maker notices these behaviors, return to the four statements at the beginning of each step you are working on. These are specifically designed to provide the ACC with what it needs to establish an optimal decision-making state and release the cognitive resources needed to complete a deliberate decision step by step.  Regardless of the cause or causes of the down-regulation, the statements will provide the needed information for the ACC to reorient and be optimally prepared to finish the step.

If you need to pause a decision, you can return later, beginning from Step 1 or returning to where you left off.  When returning to the step you are working on, review the completion of the prior step provided.  It will trigger the sequencing of the brain areas and improve the current step being worked on.