Everything is fun and frolic until you are asked what to order for lunch! If you often wondering what is right for you, you may want to take a look at how you want to make decisions. The ability to make the decisions – and the lack of it – can be attributed to different factors. We will take a look at the top 15 causes of indecisiveness, and what you can do to battle it.

What are the causes of indecisiveness?

In this rapidly changing world, a person has to make decisions, massive or puny, in each step of life. People are required to make decisions promptly and act upon it to be able to survive the pace of this competitive world. To move forward in life and to make all the required decisions in the right direction is not easy for everyone. Before solving the problem of indecisiveness, one needs to figure out what is the cause of their issues as indecisiveness is the enemy of progress.

Have you ever been stuck in making a decision? Have you wondered why?

The Top 15 Causes of Indecisiveness

1. Past Experiences:

It’s usually said to learn from your mistakes, but it’s easier said than done. But Mistakes in the past haunt people more than anything else. Sometimes wrong decisions come with a cost of traumatic experiences, and these unfortunate experiences hinder people from making decisions as they are scared that the outcomes might be not as expected or, god forbid, terribly.

One has to move on from those traumatic decisions as no one can dwell in the past and think about the future or perform better. For this to happen, one has to forgive themselves, as bad decisions are made now, and all we have in hand is the choice to make for ourselves.

2. Lack of Self-confidence:

‘I am not good enough’ is a feeling that comes to everyone’s mind, the mentality that no matter what you do, the outcome is not fruitful. This mostly happens when a person doubts his or her potential or skills required. Self-doubt can stop you from doing wonders, and once a person traps himself in the vicious cycle of self-doubt, they cannot seem to get out of it and make a choice.

3. Influence of Others

“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth” – John F Kennedy

We have the desperate need to seek the approval of people in our surroundings; it might be because a person is a people pleaser or just a victim of the expectations of society. The need to be accepted by others more than thinking about own needs can always be a significant setback while making any decision.

We are easy to receive suggestions and recommendations from others, which, in the next few steps, deter us from being clear about the original idea. One needs to understand that being a people pleaser might stop one from achieving the best.

4. Too many options:

Wouldn’t it be easy to choose if you have fewer choices? Even when we have to order food online, we have so many applications, restaurants, and dishes. We take hours exploring the options and end up being frustrated because of apparent reasons like hunger and hours of searching going into vain.

Indecisiveness is typical when there are too many viable options to choose from. On the contrary, having so many options can be helpful as you don’t have to settle for something you don’t wish for. Here the skill of reasoning and simulation of each opportunity to see its fruitfulness is essential.

5. Depending on others:

Do you ever think your friends are bossy but can’t seem to do anything about it and end up doing things according to them? This habit of Depending on others can be related to your childhood experiences, may it be having dominating and possessive parents who always took decisions for you. This is because of your habit of dependency and fear of taking the blame. Your choice, important or petite, will likely be influenced by them.

When you acquire the habit of seeking help from others to bring your preferences in every situation, you need to realize that this needs to stop as no one will always be there for you to make your decisions. If you make your arrangements, you’ll be more proud and learn better from mistakes. This can only be changed by you and by starting to take risks.

6. Aboulomania is one of the causes of Indecisiveness

The term means “without a will,” it’s a mental disorder that exhibits pathological indecisiveness. It’s assigned with stress, anxiety, and depression and majorly affects the social functionality of a person. We can easily differentiate if a person is indecisive genetically or has issues doing it later in life due to some other reasons. This can be done by judging the extent of indecisiveness if a person struggles more than all the acquaintances he or she has. It can be very small decisions like which dress to wear or which bus to take.

This undoubtedly creates havoc inside their head as they just don’t know what to do, and one cannot always look forward to someone else making decisions. Mental health specialists know how to handle such cases as each and everyone needs different treatment. This needs to be addressed by a psychologist. (No, you are not mentally unstable, relax.)

7. Lack of Knowledge is one of the top causes of Indecisiveness

As mentioned before, this generation has way more options than before, and these options, on the one hand, can create confusion. On the other, all of these options create oceans of opportunities, and to grab these opportunities, a person needs to have enough Knowledge. Maybe you didn’t know you had this option, and that’s why you could not make a decision, or your choice turned out to be wrong.

If we know the resources and possibilities, we can be the judge of what our abilities are and decide better for ourselves. However, a lack of knowledge in the respective field is a devil’s nest. Because Plato said, The right decision is based on experience and not on numbers.

8. Parents play a significant role

If your parents make all your life decisions, then you’re more likely to refrain from making decisions. And if your decisions end up being incorrect & were followed by punishment, then you are conditioned to avoid making decisions in the first place.

This happens most of the time because parents don’t realize that their kids have grown up and now they need to make their own decisions, parents go on handling the thread of their kite, a.k.a children, but they forget that their kids are meant to be birds, not kites. Whoever is a parent or is going to be a parent needs to understand the delicacy of their tough job and try more and more to control their childless and less.

9. Thinking ahead of you:

Longing for great results while making choices activates your overthinking brain and hence indecisiveness. Most people have the habit of overthinking and overanalyzing everything before the right time. When you overanalyze your decisions, you are more likely to delay and may also make the wrong decisions. And most importantly, because you have analyzed it so much, the wrong decision is likely to hurt you more. It’s good to be farsighted, but don’t overdo it.

10. Indecisiveness because of a group of people:

People who have a job or worked on a group project or went out with a bunch of friends, or stayed in with family; everywhere when there is a group of people, it’s only natural to have opinions, and these opinions are not necessarily the same and give birth to confusion and hence one of the top causes of indecisiveness.

Know this when a team has contrasting opinions, the delay in the decision-making is obvious, and here leadership skills play a major role. Proper Planning and listing out pros and cons can be beneficial to rationalize the situation and needs so that the group can come up with the best possible decision.

11. Financial Issues:

This is mostly a business-based problem. Sometimes you know what you want or need, but the world is, in fact, not a wish-granting factory, and you cannot have whatever you wish for. In that case, one has to settle for something less than one expected in the first place, and this needs to be done by making the right decision so that the outcome is near about good as it would have been if only one had the money for it.

Not having the required capital to support your decision is likely to throw you off track and cause indecisiveness. This, again, requires hard work and dedication to decide what is best for better results, one should not give up and go on with the best possible option, and one shall succeed.

12. Societal Pressure

You may not realize it, but it remains one of the top 15 causes of indecisiveness.

The fear of being judged or mocked by society for a wrong decision will deter you from making any decision at all! Being oblivious to society & Listening to your brain & heart debate is an option. We exist in society, and they play a major role in our everyday life. Sometimes, we need to act according to them so that we can belong. But anything that goes beyond the extent becomes harmful when we start acting by the rules and regulations of society. We forget our needs and dreams.

Before it’s too late, one needs to realize that people have opinions, and sometimes they try to impose these opinions on you for their benefit. The best thing to do in that case is to listen to everyone but always do what you wish for. Once you start loving your decisions, you don’t need others to love them.

13. Fear of letting anyone down

Yes, it’s one of the top causes of indecisiveness. Your smallest decision will affect every employee.  Or you are the caretaker of the family, and other people depend on you. In that case, you cannot afford very disastrous wrong decisions. Imagine you being the head of a large organization. You will be hesitant to take any tough decision, though it will be beneficial in the long run, lest your employees might not welcome the change and feel let down. Indecisiveness in being able to balance employee satisfaction and business growth decisions is common.

14. Laziness is one of the causes of Indecisiveness

Some people don’t have the energy to make any decision and depend completely on their destiny or time to take it for them. They need to realize the bigger picture. This will only harm them and put their future at risk. Your habit of limiting yourself to a certain level will reflect in your decision-making.

You’ll most likely end up unable to decide anything because you might not consider yourself able enough to take that decision forward. To survive in this cruel world, you have to get up from that bed and make that decision and work for yourself. Remember, your indecision is a decision.

15. Fear of Failure as one of the causes of Indecisiveness

The most common among all of the reasons is this one. What if that decision is wrong? What if I lose money? What if I lose people’s respect? What if things don’t like you wished them to go? What if? Being fearful of failure will cause indecisiveness. It is recommended that you study your decision vividly and get the confidence that it’ll work. Trust yourself.

How can we be less indecisive?

Once you know 15 causes of indecisiveness. Everything that comes in your path of making certain decisions can be handled by understanding carefully that no decision can be completely right or completely wrong, You need to figure out what is the best-suited option for you, and success is more likely to come. You can strategize as you wish to and don’t worry about the results after you have done the best you could do. Every right decision is a combination of Knowledge, ideas, patience, intuition, and hard work.

If you think you are the most indecisive person you know, then calm down and think of it because you are indecisive; it means that you are ready to bring in change, and you want this change to be for better conditions. And change is the only constant. Be fearless and make decisions that will be a success or a lesson for a better future. Remember that a bad decision is better than a no decision because we lose more by indecision.