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7 Simple but Effective Ways to Make Better Decisions

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better decision making

Tony Robbins wrote in his book awaken the giant within, “I believe that in your moments of decision your destiny is shaped.” We all know how important decision making is in all aspects of life. Whether it was a big decision or small one we make every single day. However, it can be really hard for us to consistently make the “right” ones.

In order to fix that, you might want to read books on decision making (“The Decision Book” is my favourite), but that can make you overwhelmed and end up taking a huge amount of your precious time because there are so many books on the subject.

To help you with that, I gathered for you a few of the best decision making tips I could possibly find. Ones that  are proven to work effectively and that you can start implementing right away.

Here are 7 effective ways to make better decisions:

1 Make decisions in the light of your values

When you have a predefined set of values, the decision making process will become much easier as you’ll be first considering which options reflect your values and which don’t. Therefore you’ll be cutting out a significant amount of the options available to you. Obviously, to be able to do that, you have to know what your values are. So you might want to spend some time on figuring out your values.

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein

2. Seek expert advice

By “expert” I don’t mean a person you know, who has an opinion about everything but no real knowledge in pretty much anything. Taking advice from that kind of person can be quite dangerous and can lead you to making serious mistakes in life. The very first rule of asking advice is to choose the right person to ask.

Someone whom you consider wise and doing pretty well in the area you would like to get help in. For example, you don’t want to take financial advice from a broke person, nor a health advice from someone overweight. You don’t have to get direct advice from someone – although that’s preferred, you can just do a bit of research in books, or simply online.

3. Make important decisions in the morning

According to professor Baba Shiv from Stanford Graduate School of business, the best time to make a decision during the day is early in the morning. This is due to the calming chemical called Serotonin, which is at its highest level early in the morning and declines from that gradually during the day. That’s why in the afternoon, you’re more likely to make the decision out of fear. You can try to keep your Serotonin level high throughout the day by getting good quality deep sleep at night, having a good breakfast rich with protein like egg whites, and exercising regularly. All the previous practices were proven effective in increasing as well as maintaining a healthy level of serotonin during a greater portion of the day.

4. Ask “what if” a lot

I learned this technique from the information scientist Nidhi Kalra. To make sure that we are making the right decision we often try to predict the future by saying this is what will probably happen so I better choose this option. She believes that’s not necessary. Instead, we must ask “what if?” a lot. By doing so, we consider all possible future occurrences and we end up stumbling upon options that can fit with them all. Therefore making better decisions.

5. Only consider reasons created by you

Some like to call it following your heart or listening to your intuition, but I like to call it considering your own reasons just like the modern philosopher Ruth Chang does. She said in her TED talk that what makes a decision hard for us is not that we’re ignorant or stupid, instead it’s because of the existence of multiple alternatives. Some are good in some ways while others are good in other ways.

She says that there is no specific “right option” to choose in such cases. And to make a good decision (one that will make us happy) you simply must solely consider reasons that you create for yourself, as opposed to ones given to you by others.

6. Beware of cognitive biases

Biases can be pretty dangerous: they cloud our judgement, make us adopt wrong beliefs in life, and may mislead us to make some very bad choices. The two biases that affect your decision making process the most are the self serving bias and the confirmation bias. The self serving bias is the tendency to credit all good things that happen to us to our own efforts, and every bad thing happening to us to the outside world.

This helps keeping our self esteem up, however too much of it prevents us from learning from our past failures. Therefore repeating the same mistake over and over again. The confirmation bias is the tendency to only look for and consider evidence and information that confirms our beliefs, instead of exploring both sides of the situation. Just consciously paying attention to these biases can help you massively improve your ability to make good decisions.

“A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers.” – Plato

7. Learn from your past decisions

Reflect upon all the decisions you’ve made before. Look at the ones that went well, and try to figure out the process you followed back then and distill from it the key ingredients that worked for you and just use them again in the future. Bad decisions you’ve previously made are enormously helpful too. So make sure you draw a powerful lesson from each one of them and make good use of it in the future.

What tips would you give to help make better decisions? Please leave your thoughts below!

Mariem El Majdoubi is a young Moroccan writer. She is a high school student who likes reading and enjoys writing short stories. She's also all about helping people achieve success by making them focus on personal development through her various articles. You can follow her blog: http://optimizedsuccess.weebly.com/ or connect with her on Facebook: facebook.com/satyoptimized.

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How to Choose the Best Affiliate Programs for Your Blog

If you follow these steps, you can create an affiliate marketing plan that makes money, fits well with your content, and connects with your readers

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how to choose the best affiliate programs for your blog

Picking the right affiliate programs for your blog is really important. It can make a big difference in how much money you can make and how much your readers get out of your blog. With so many choices out there, deciding which ones to go with can be tricky. 

This guide is here to make it easier for you. It will give you clear steps and helpful tips to choose affiliate programs that fit well with what your blog is about, what your readers like, and what you stand for. 

For more articles on this theme, please head over to this blog https://blog.partners1xbet.com/.

Understanding Affiliate Marketing

Before you start picking affiliate programs, it’s important to really understand what affiliate marketing is and how it works. 

Basically, affiliate marketing is when you promote a product or service on your blog, and then you get paid a little bit every time someone buys something or does something because you recommended it. 

It’s great for both the person selling the product and the blogger, because the seller gets more sales with low risk, and the blogger can make money from their blog.

How to Choose the Right Affiliate Programs for Your Blog

1. Assess Your Niche and Audience

The key to doing well in affiliate marketing starts with really knowing what your blog is about and who reads it. Consider the following:

  • Your blog’s content: What topics do you cover? Ensure the products or services you promote are relevant.
  • Your audience’s interests and needs: What solutions are they seeking? Choose affiliate programs that offer products or services that solve their problems or enhance their lives.

2. Research Potential Affiliate Programs

Once you know what your blog is about and what your readers want, start looking for affiliate programs. Choose ones that are well-known for good products, great customer service, and helpful support for affiliates. Resources to find these programs include:

  • Affiliate networks like ShareASale, Commission Junction, and ClickBank.
  • Direct searches for “[Your Niche] affiliate programs” in search engines.
  • Recommendations from other bloggers in your niche.

3. Evaluate the Commission Structure

The commission structure is a critical factor to consider. Look for programs that offer competitive rates that make your efforts worthwhile. Consider:

  • The percentage of commission per sale.
  • Whether the program offers a flat rate per action (e.g., per sign-up).
  • The cookie duration, which affects how long after a click you can earn commissions on sales.

4. Consider the Program’s Reputation and Sureness

Join affiliate programs with a solid reputation for quality and sureness. This not only ensures that you’re promoting good products but also that you’ll be paid on time. You can:

  • Read reviews from other affiliates.
  • Check the program’s history and background.
  • Look for any complaints or issues reported online.

5. Analyze the Support and Resources Offered

A good affiliate program gives you things like ads to use, training on their products, and helpful managers. Having access to these resources can really help you do a better job at promoting their products.

6. Understand the Terms and Conditions

Before signing up, thoroughly review the program’s terms and conditions. Pay close attention to:

  • Payment thresholds and methods.
  • Any restrictions on how you can promote their products.
  • The program’s policy on affiliate marketing on social media platforms.

7. Test the Product or Service

If possible, test the product or service before promoting it. This firsthand experience allows you to offer genuine charge and build trust with your audience.

8. Look for Recurring Commission Opportunities

Some affiliate programs pay you again and again for subscriptions or services that charge fees regularly. These can provide a more stable income compared to one-time sales commissions.

Implementing Your Choice

After choosing the best affiliate programs, the next step is to smoothly include your affiliate marketing in your content plan. This includes:

  • Creating valuable content that naturally incorporates affiliate links.
  • Disclosing your affiliate affairs transparently to maintain trust with your audience.
  • Tracking your results to understand what works best for your audience and adjusting your strategy accordingly.

Picking the best affiliate programs for your blog involves careful planning, research, and making sure they match what your audience likes and needs. 

If you follow these steps, you can create an affiliate marketing plan that makes money, fits well with your content, and connects with your readers. 

The real key to doing well with affiliate marketing isn’t just about the products you talk about, but also how much your audience trusts and values your advice. 

With enough time, patience, and hard work, your blog can grow into a successful space that earns a good amount of affiliate money and helps your readers choose the right products.

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