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On this episode
None of us looks forward to making a tough decision. On a day-to-day basis, we make so many choices, and as healthcare professionals, those choices have consequences. What if we make the wrong choice?
It’s easy to feel decision fatigue, or want to avoid experiencing uncertainty. But what if we practice making smaller decisions, like taking a different route home? This sort of activity helps build confidence in our ability to make choices and understand the consequences. We can even practice living with bigger decisions for a day or so before we make them.
Sometimes, biases creep into our decision-making. We pick up faulty data from our past experiences, or assume that what happened in the past will happen the same way again. When we notice these biases, we can label them and try to think differently.
When we stop making decisions – or just take the easiest route – we can end up with rigid thinking patterns, which can leave us stuck and unable to move forwards for fear of making a mistake. This fear can stop us taking action and can limit our opportunities.
This week, Rachel is joined by Dr Claire Plumbly, who offers practical advice to help you make decisions from a place of stability.
if you’re struggling with a big decision, reach out to someone you trust. You don’t need to ask for their advice – and you certainly don’t have to take it. But talking it out can help clarify your thoughts and give you the confidence to act.
Show links
More episodes of You Are Not a Frog:
- Beware Your Kindest Colleagues – Episode 212
- How to Escape the Tyranny of the ‘Shoulds’ – Episode 196, with Charlotte Housden
- Only You Can Choose Your Next Move – Episode 216
Burnout: How to Manage Your Nervous System Before it Manages You – Dr Claire’s book
Download the episode’s podsheet. You can use it for reflection and to submit for your appraisal as part of your CPD.
About the guests
Claire is a clinical psychologist and Director of Good Therapy Ltd, a psychological therapy centre based online and in Taunton, Somerset. Her private practice specialises in trauma-related issues and Claire herself has a specialism in sexual assault, early life traumas, and of course burnout.
Her highly-anticipated debut book Burnout: How to Manage Your Nervous System Before it Manages You, came out in the UK in July 2024 and is out in the US in January 2025 under the title The Trauma of Burnout. It shows you how to harness the power of your nervous system, despite the persistent demands of modern life.
Follow Dr Claire Plumbly
Reasons to listen
- To understand common decision-making biases, and how they affect daily choices
- For techniques to increase your tolerance to uncertainty and improve your decision-making skills
- To learn how to manage decision fatigue and choice overload, so you can make more effective decisions
Episode highlights
The status quo bias
Anchoring bias
Hindsight bias
Decision fatigue
Where decisions come from in our bodies
Where decisions come from in our brains
Increasing your tolerance of uncertaintyr
Loss orientation
Decision-making for perfectionists
Default mode network
The green, amber, and red zones of our nervous system
Learned helplessness
Getting past our “shoulds”
Decision-making grid
Practicing having made a big decision
Claire’s top tips
Episode transcript
[00:00:00] Rachel: What do you do when you’re faced with a big decision? Do you draw up a pros and cons list, chat it through with a friend, or flip a coin and hope for the best? [00:00:08] Rachel: As healthcare professionals, we make tough decisions all the time about patients. But when it comes to decisions about relationships, our practices, our careers, fear of making the wrong choice can just leave us paralyzed. And sometimes not making a choice is just as bad as making the wrong one. [00:00:26] Rachel: So this week, I’m really pleased to welcome back,…
