Decision-Making Strategies

verb to vacillate between two different opinions or attitudes

adjective describing the action of vacillating or being inconsistent

• The committee seems to blow hot and cold on the issue of budget allocation.
• I can never predict how she feels about me, she always blows hot and cold.
• I hate how he blows hot and cold with his friendships, it's so annoying.
• Her emotions towards him seemed to blow hot and cold, never staying constant.

adjective describing someone who is careful and avoids risks

• It is important to be cautious when making financial investments.
• I would be cautious about lending money to someone you just met.
• Dude, you gotta be cautious when dealing with that shady guy.
• She approached the situation with a cautious mindset, like tiptoeing through a minefield.

noun a means to an end, especially one that is convenient or practical

adjective convenient and practical, although possibly improper or immoral

• It was deemed expedient to make changes to the budget in order to meet the financial goals.
• It's expedient to leave early if you want to avoid traffic.
• Skipping class might seem expedient, but it's not the best choice in the long run.
• In a figurative sense, taking shortcuts is not always expedient for personal growth.

noun a heuristic method or process

adjective relating to or serving as an aid to learning, discovery, or problem-solving by experimental and especially trial-and-error methods

• The scientist used a heuristic approach to solve the complex problem.
• He used a rule of thumb to figure out the answer.
• He just went with his gut feeling to make a decision.
• His heuristic was like a compass guiding him through the maze of possibilities.

noun the reason or intention behind an action

adverb intentionally or deliberately

• She admitted that she tripped him on purpose during the race.
• I think he spilled his drink on purpose just to get a reaction out of me.
• He's always messing with people on purpose just to be funny.
• Sometimes it feels like the universe is testing us by putting obstacles in our way on purpose.

noun indecisive or irresolute behavior

verb to show indecisive or irresolute behavior

• The committee criticized the manager for his shilly shallying on important decisions.
• Stop shilly shallying and just make up your mind already!
• Quit your shilly shallying and get to work!
• Her constant shilly shallying between two career paths is delaying her success.

noun a person who settles for a satisfactory solution or outcome rather than the optimal one

• The satisficer chose the first option that met their criteria.
• I'm a satisficer when it comes to shopping, I just pick the first thing I like.
• I'm not a perfectionist, I'm more of a satisficer.
• Being a satisficer in life can lead to quicker decision-making and less stress.

noun a person's hands

verb to sit on

preposition on

• It is not advisable to sit on your hands when faced with a challenging situation.
• Don't just sit on your hands, take action and do something about it!
• Quit sitting on your hands and start making things happen!
• You can't expect things to change if you just sit on your hands and do nothing.