Bud and Aelfaba,

I suggest you try something when you need to make a decision. Write down all of the issues you need to consider. The fixed issues and the variables. Then prioritize each and connect them to the different decisions you can make.

The problem with decision making is the need to juggle so much information in our minds. If we do not have a good digit span, we struggle to process more than 2 or 3 issues in the decision making process. By writing them down, we can avoid that mental juggling.

btw, Digit span is the number of items the brain can process (juggle) at the same time as it thinks through a decision. It matches age in years until age 8. Some develop a digit span greater than 8 but most stabilize at 8.

We often have digit spans that have regressed to the 2 or 3 level. This does not mean we are not intelligent. Just that we are limited in the information we can process at the same time.

My digit spans sucks. Usually 2 to 4, depending on my stress load. Ambient stimulations (sounds, lights, etc) can reduce my digit span. For example, I used to be able to drive my truck, listen to the radio, eat something while scanning a map to find a customers address. Now, I ride shotgun and try to use the map. My wife will need to turn off the radio, maybe turn the a/c off, and sometimes even stop the car so i can process the information on a map.

There are a few sayings to go with this.
The first is:

We need to STOP to think.

Second:

We can only do (think about) one thing at a time.

Once we accept this limitation, we can develop decision making environments that work for us. If we try to juggle everything in our head, we will likely make poor decisions and overload and crash.

btw, I often need to close my eyes so I can focus better on the issues at hand.

Hope this helps.