how to make a decision essay

Skip to main content
Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

LISTEN & FOLLOW
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Amazon Music

Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed.

Faced with a tough decision? The key to choosing may be your mindset

Meghan Keane

Sylvie Douglis

Being faced with a big decision can be overwhelming. Do you take the new job? Break up with your partner? Move closer to your parents? Start a totally different career?

How do you make the right decision?

"It's really important to distinguish big choices from hard choices," says Ruth Chang , a professor of jurisprudence at the University of Oxford. One of Chang's research areas is decision-making.

"Some of your big decisions, while life altering, are perfectly easy. You get an operation that will cure some debilitating disease you have." That's an easy decision. What makes a decision hard, Chang notes, is when the two choices in front of you are on par.

"One alternative is better than the other in some respects; the other alternative is better than the other in other respects; and neither seems at least as good as the other, overall," says Chang. That's when the hand-wringing kicks in.

Chang can't tell you what choice to pick, but she can give you useful strategies for thinking through those choices.

Highlights from our conversation are below, edited for brevity and clarity.

Interview Highlights

On how to know you're facing a really hard choice, or her "small improvement test"

Suppose you've got the one career on the West Coast and the other career on the East Coast. One job is better than the other in some respects, but it doesn't seem like one of them is at least as good as the other. Say we're going to raise the salary of your West Coast job by a thousand dollars a year. It's better than it was before, but it doesn't seal the deal. It doesn't make that improved job now better than the East Coast job. I call [this] the small improvement test, and [if] it doesn't follow that improving it a little bit makes it much better than the other one, then, you know, you're stuck in a hard choice.

On the power of commitment

You have to open yourself up to the possibility of making a commitment. And when you commit to one path as opposed to another, you put your whole self behind it.

And when you do that, when you open yourself up to the possibility of making a commitment, you finally remake yourself right into or realize yourself as someone who has committed — to Bob, or to the career on the West Coast, or lumberjack-hood — and you make yourself into someone for whom it is now true that you have most reason to do that instead of the other thing.

On why hard choices are important

They're like junctures in our life where we get to realize ourselves as one kind of agent as opposed to another. And it's up to us. That's what's so scary about them, right? It's something we get to decide instead of looking out into the world and trying to discover some nonexistent fact about which path of life is best for you. You actually get to create that value for yourself by committing.

I think the best analogy of this is really love relationships. The truth is there isn't one person on the globe who's best for you with respect to all the things that matter and having a life partner. There's a bunch of people who are on a par. But if you are in a committed relationship, it's because your commitment to that person makes that person the right person for you.

On taking the cautious route

People admire people who appear to be always moving forward, doing scary, risky things. On the other hand, most of us are not like that. Most of us drift and go along with the status quo and were quite timid for good reasons, because if you think about our evolutionary history, you put a foot wrong and a snake bites you or you fall into quicksand. The point is that you have this capacity to commit and to create value for yourself in your life instead of being a passive recipient.

On making pandemic life decisions

There's no doubt that the pandemic put a damper on beehive-like activity. And now that people have time to contemplate and think about the direction of their lives, I think it's a great opportunity to slow down, take a breath and think about how to think and the question, who can I commit to being? The answer you come to — and I think you'll come to a bunch of different answers — will feed into how you face hard choices down the road.

The audio portion of this episode was produced by Sylvie Douglis .

We'd love to hear from you. If you have a good life hack, leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at [email protected] . Your tip could appear in an upcoming episode.

If you love Life Kit and want more, subscribe to our newsletter .

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

Jessie Szalay

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Are you going to wear a t-shirt or a sweater today? Answer your phone or let it go to voicemail? Eat an apple or a banana? Let your friend pick the show on Netflix or fight for your favorite? We make decisions all day every day, narrowing dozens of options down to a few, often without even noticing, and then selecting our chosen option fairly quickly. (After all, who says you need to wear a shirt at all? It might be a bathrobe day.)

Writing, and all communication, is no different. Deciding whether or not to answer your phone is a decision to engage—the same kind of decision you have to make when it comes to your composition class assignments. What are you going to write about? Each potential topic is like a ring on your phone: “Answer me! Pay attention to me!” But do you want to? Maybe that topic is like your dramatic relative who talks your ear off about old family grudges from the 1970s—too exhausting to think about and leaving you speechless. Or maybe that topic is like an automated phone survey, and you just can’t get interested in the issue. In order to produce the best writing you can—and not be miserable while you’re doing it—you’re going to want to pick a topic that really, truly interests you, with which you are excited to engage, about which you have the resources to learn, and about which you can envision having something to say. After all, writing is an action. By writing, you are entering into a conversation with your readers, with others who have written about the topic, and others who know and/or care about it. Is that a community you want to engage with? A conversation you want to be a part of?

All this thinking sounds like work, right? It is. And it’s just the first of many, many decisions you’re going to make while writing. But it’s necessary.

Making decisions is a fundamental part of writing. The decisions you make will determine the success of your writing. If you make them carelessly, you might end up with unintended consequences—a tone that doesn’t fit your medium or audience, logical fallacies, poor sources or overlooked important ones, or something else.

I’ve often thought of my own writing as a process of selecting. Rather than starting with an empty page, I sometimes feel like I’m starting with every possible phrase, thought, and a dozen dictionaries. There are so many stories I could tell, so many sources I could cite, so many arguments I could make to support my point! There are so many details I could include to make a description more vivid, but using them all would turn my article into a novel. There are so many tones I could take. By making my article funny, maybe more people would read it. But by making it serious, it might appear more trustworthy. What to do? My piece of writing could be so many things, and many of them might be good.

You might have heard the saying, attributed to Michelangelo, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” Each chip in the marble, each word on the page, is a choice to make one thing emerge instead of something else. It’s a selection. It’s up to you to select the best, most rhetorically effective, most interesting, and most beautiful option.

WHERE DO I START?

Deciding on your topic (“the decision to engage,” as termed by The Harbrace Guide to Writing ) is often the first choice you’ll make. Here you’ll find some more decisions you’ll need to make and some ways to think about them.

But first, a note on rhetorical situations. Your rhetorical situation will largely determine what choices you make, so make sure you understand it thoroughly. A rhetorical situation is the situation in which you are writing. It includes your message, your identity as an author, your audience, your purpose, and the context in which you are writing. You’ll read more about the rhetorical situation elsewhere.

These tips assume that you already know the elements of your rhetorical situation, and focus on how to make good choices accordingly.

Genre is the kind of writing you are doing. The term is often applied to art, film, music, etc., as well, such as the science fiction genre. (Here’s a fairly comprehensive list of genres .) In writing, genre can refer to the type of writing: an argumentative essay, a Facebook post, a memoir. Perhaps your genre will be chosen for you in your assignment, perhaps it won’t. Either way, you will have to make some choices. If you’ve been assigned an argumentative essay, you need to learn about the rules of the genre—and then decide how and to what extent you want to follow them.

Form or Mode of Delivery.

This is often similar to genre. For instance, a Facebook post has its own genre rules and conventions, and its mode of delivery is, obviously, Facebook. But sometimes a genre can appear in various forms, i.e. a sci-fi novel and a sci-fi film are the same genre in different forms. You could write your argumentative essay with the intent to have it read online, in a newspaper, or in an academic journal. You might have noticed that many politicians are now laying out their arguments and proposals via series of tweets. This is a calculated decision about the form they are using.

Word Choice.

Something I love about English is that there are so many ways to say things. One of the myriad elements I adore in the English language is that there are thousands of options for phrasing the same idea. I think English is great because it gives you so many choices for how you want to say things. English rocks because you have a gazillion words and phrases for one idea.

Different words work with different tones and audiences and can be used to develop your voice and authority. Get out the thesaurus, but don’t always go for the biggest word. Instead, weigh your options and pick which one you like best and think is most effective.

Sentence Structure and Punctuation.

As with word choice, the English language provides us with thousands of ways to present a single idea in a sentence or paragraph. It’s up to you to choose how you do it. I like to mix up long, complex sentences with multiple clauses and short, direct ones. I love semi-colons, but some people hate them. The same thing goes for em dashes. Some of the most famous authors, like Ernest Hemingway and Herman Melville, are known as much for their sentence structure and punctuation choices as their characters and plots.

Tone is sometimes prescribed by the genre. For instance, your academic biology paper probably should not sound like you’re e-mailing a friend. But there are always choices to make. Whether you sound knowledgeable or snobbish, warm or aloof, lighthearted or serious are matters of tonal choices.

Modes of Appeal.

You’ve probably heard that logos, pathos, and ethos should be in balance with each other, and that can be a good strategy. But you might decide that, for instance, you want to weigh your proposal more heavily toward logic, or your memoir more toward pathos. Think about which modes will most effectively convey what you want to say and reach your readers.

You professor likely gave you a word or page count, which can inform many other decisions you make. But what if there’s no length limit? In higher-level college classes, it’s fairly common to have a lot of leeway with length. Thinking about your purpose and audience can help you decide how long a piece should be. Will your audience want a lot of detail? Would they realistically only read a few pages? Remember that shorter length doesn’t necessarily mean an easier project because you’ll need to be more economical with your words, arguments, and evidence.

Organization and Structure.

Introduction with thesis, body with one argument or counterargument per paragraph, conclusion that restates arguments and thesis. This is the basic formula for academic essays, but it doesn’t mean it’s always the best. What if you put your thesis at the end, or somewhere in the middle? What if you organized your arguments according to their emotional appeal, or in the order the evidence was discovered, or some other way? The way you organize your writing will have a big effect on the way a reader experiences it. It could mean the difference between being engaged throughout and getting bored halfway through.

Detail, Metaphor and Simile, Imagery and Poetic Language.

Creative writers know that anything in the world, even taxes, can be written about poetically. But how much description and beautiful language do you want? The amount of figurative or poetic language you include will change the tone of the paper. It will signal to a reader that they should linger over the beauty of your writing—but not every piece of writing should be lingered over. You probably want the e-mail from your boss to be direct and to the point.

Background Information.

How much does your audience know about the topic, and what do they need to know to understand your writing? Do you want to provide them with the necessary background information or do you want to make them do the work of finding it? If you want to put in background information, where will it go? Do you want to front-load it at the beginning of your writing, or intersperse it throughout, point by point? Do you want to provide a quick sentence summary of the relevant background or a whole paragraph?

These are just some of the elements of writing that you need to make choices about as a writer. Some of them won’t require much internal debate—you’ll just know. Some of them will. Don’t be afraid to sit with your decisions. Making good ones will help ensure your writing is successful.

Share This Book

SUGGESTED TOPICS
The Magazine
Newsletters
Managing Yourself
Managing Teams
Work-life Balance
The Big Idea
Data & Visuals
Reading Lists
Case Selections
HBR Learning
Topic Feeds
Account Settings
Email Preferences

How to Make Great Decisions, Quickly

Martin G. Moore

It’s a skill that will set you apart.

As a new leader, learning to make good decisions without hesitation and procrastination is a capability that can set you apart from your peers. While others vacillate on tricky choices, your team could be hitting deadlines and producing the type of results that deliver true value. That’s something that will get you — and them — noticed. Here are a few of a great decision:

Great decisions are shaped by consideration of many different viewpoints. This doesn’t mean you should seek out everyone’s opinion. The right people with the relevant expertise need to clearly articulate their views to help you broaden your perspective and make the best choice.
Great decisions are made as close as possible to the action. Remember that the most powerful people at your company are rarely on the ground doing the hands-on work. Seek input and guidance from team members who are closest to the action.
Great decisions address the root cause, not just the symptoms. Although you may need to urgently address the symptoms, once this is done you should always develop a plan to fix the root cause, or else the problem is likely to repeat itself.
Great decisions balance short-term and long-term value. Finding the right balance between short-term and long-term risks and considerations is key to unlocking true value.
Great decisions are timely. If you consider all of the elements listed above, then it’s simply a matter of addressing each one with a heightened sense of urgency.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

Like many young leaders, early in my career, I thought a great decision was one that attracted widespread approval. When my colleagues smiled and nodded their collective heads, it reinforced (in my mind, at least) that I was an excellent decision maker.

MM Martin G. Moore is the founder of Your CEO Mentor and author of No Bullsh!t Leadership and host of the No Bullsh!t Leadership podcast. His purpose is to improve the quality of leaders globally through practical, real world leadership content. For more information, please visit, www.martingmoore.com.

Partner Center

Password reminder

Custom essay help for you, advice for a decision making essay.

It is difficult to make decisions sometimes, but it is even more challenging to write a decision making essay. Therefore, to help you with this tough task we offer you a few hints on what to write about in your essay about decision making.

Importance of the Proper Making Decisions Process

The good decision defines your success. Thus, you should better learn more on critical thinking and decision making, as this information and skills will help you a lot in your life. Being well-aware of how to find effective solutions will help you to avoid failures and manage your time without any losses.

Decision Making Essay: Explain the Process

A good decision is not always easy to get. To do everything properly, one needs to follow the next steps:

1. You Should Identify the Problem You Are Dealing with

It is necessary to find out, what you are actually dealing with. State the case you need to get a decision for.

2. Search for Information

To make sure what you are fully aware of the issue, gather more information about it. You should benefit from the online and offline sources.

3. Analyze the Situation

Now you should think of the conditions of the situation that actually takes place. Analyze all the factors, which influence it and put it into logical connections with other situations.

4. Develop the Possible Solutions

It is high time to think what can be done. Note all the possible solutions that need to be reviewed.

5. Critically Evaluate the Options

You should think of the pluses and minuses of each possible solution you have found. This will make you close to actual making a final decision. You can draw a simple table for an each option. There should be 4 columns: strength, weakness, opportunities and threats of the option. This is known to be a SWOT analysis, which is widely used in Business Studies, Finance etc.

6. Select the Best Option

There is the best plan of actions among the suggested ones, so choose the one based on your analysis. Obviously, the best option is the one that has the most pluses and the least minuses if to compare with others. This will be your way to resolve the situation.

7. Act!

Making a decision without acting is pointless. Thus, proceed to the most important step of the whole process and apply the solution in practice!

Options to Get Helped in Decision Making

Sometimes we need some help in decision making. Indeed, it is a good idea to discuss the issue with a person, who is an expert in the field you need to deal with.

Act in Groups

Having a group of experts in various fields helps a lot, since you can fully overview the issue and be aware of all the difficulties faced. Every group member is able to express his own opinion on the situation and provide an in-depth analysis from the point of view he is professional in.

Discuss the Problem with an Expert

There is a point to talk to the expert directly. Our company has a numerous team of experts in different fields, so we will definitely find an appropriate helper for you. Your assistant will not only help you to make the best possible decision, but he is always ready to write a good and qualitative decision making essay.

High School

Undergraduate 1-2, undergraduate 3-4.

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

Knowledge Base
How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

Start with a question
Write your initial answer
Develop your answer
Refine your thesis statement

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services

Discover proofreading & editing

The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

Why you hold this position
What they’ll learn from your essay
The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Ad hominem fallacy
Post hoc fallacy
Appeal to authority fallacy
False cause fallacy
Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

Choosing Essay Topic
Write a College Essay
Write a Diversity Essay
College Essay Format & Structure
Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

(AI) Tools

Grammar Checker
Paraphrasing Tool
Text Summarizer
AI Detector
Plagiarism Checker
Citation Generator

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

It gives your writing direction and focus.
It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

Ask a question about your topic .
Write your initial answer.
Develop your answer by including reasons.
Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, August 15). How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/thesis-statement/

Is this article helpful?

Shona McCombes

Other students also liked, how to write an essay introduction | 4 steps & examples, how to write topic sentences | 4 steps, examples & purpose, academic paragraph structure | step-by-step guide & examples, what is your plagiarism score.

Share full article

Parenting Means Making a Million Decisions. Here’s How to Choose Better.

Here’s how to choose better..

Supported by

guest essay

A Smarter Way to Make Decisions About Your Kids

By Emily Oster

Dr. Oster is a professor of economics at Brown University and the author of “The Family Firm: A Data-Driven Guide to Better Decision Making in the Early School Years,” from which this essay is adapted.

W hen we become parents, we expect to be many things: someone who wakes in the middle of the night and who cleans up food from the floor; someone who comforts, who loves, who disciplines, who celebrates. What we perhaps did not expect is to take on the job of logistics manager. It creeps up on us as children age. The floor may get cleaner and the midnight wake-ups less frequent, but in their place is the stress of competing demands on our children’s time and ours. Which school to go to and how to get there? Is evening math tutoring necessary? What do we do about summer camp? How can three children with two parents be at three birthday parties on Saturday at 2 p.m.?

Making these questions more challenging is that they feel weightier than early parenting choices, that they matter more in the long term and that making a mistake is somehow worse. On top of this, an older child has more demands and more opinions. The decisions feel important and hard, and many parents feel lost as to how to make them well.

Consider this: One day, your 9-year-old daughter arrives home with the exciting news that she has been invited to join the travel soccer team . She really wants to do it. In fact, she insists, if you do not let her, you will literally ruin her life.

It’s easy to think of this as a question about soccer, about one activity. But it’s not; it’s a question of priorities. The soccer team may have four evening practices a week and one weekend day (at least!) spent at tournaments. If you say yes, this will take over a lot of your days. (Of course, if you say no, you’ll ruin your daughter’s life.)

For many of us, the pandemic has brought these decisions into a new light. During lockdown, we turned off so much of what we were doing. As families re-emerge, there is an opportunity to choose what we actually want to return to. Our schedules are blank slates, waiting for us to design them in a way that we might like better. At the same time, we have to make all those difficult choices anew.

Early parenting experiences haven’t necessarily prepared us. With a baby, so much is immediate. With toddlers or older children, most parents know that “giving in to the loudest whining” isn’t the best way to decide, but it’s hard to know what to replace that with.

In my own case, I made a business of using data to make decisions in early parenting — relying heavily on what science said about the choices I was considering. Unfortunately for me, the data approach is incomplete when the logistics of a household with older children come into the picture. I found myself scrounging for any scrap of data that might help, and then making decisions sometimes almost at random, often at the last minute. The haphazard aspect of this process was stressful. Not having a plan resulted in what felt like an avoidable fuss.

And then I realized, there are better ways to do this.

Taking a cue from my past life as a business school professor, I thought about how well-run companies make important decisions. They are deliberate. They have structured processes — evaluation steps, meetings, a timeline. This is what is often missing in our parenting. We face complex decisions without the deliberate processes to make choices. But if we can add those to our toolbox, our decision-making at home can improve.

Our schedules are blank slates, waiting for us to design them in a way that we might like better.

Concretely, deliberate parenting means two things. The first is being clear up front about what is important to each family member and what is important to the family collectively. Some of this is abstract; most parents try to get their family aligned along some core values. But a larger part is answering questions like, What would my ideal Tuesday look like? This may seem mundane, but your life is made of Tuesdays. If your Tuesdays are not what you hope, you may not be as happy as you can be.

In my family, we have decided that having dinner together, at 6 p.m., is among our most important priorities. I could give several reasons for this, but the main reason is simply that for both my husband and me, it’s part of an ideal day. Recognizing this shapes a lot of our other decisions.

Here’s one example: My daughter’s primary athletic activity is running, and at some point a fellow parent mentioned a youth running club at the local high school. When I looked into it, I found out that it meets at 6 p.m. twice a week, conflicting with dinner. This made it a non-starter, and I don’t know that I even raised it with the rest of the family as an option. But if we hadn’t established, up front, that dinner takes priority, I can easily imagine having made a different choice. And after a few more choices like that, our ideal day would be gone.

It would be a mistake, though, to think that in this stage of parenting, personal preferences are all that matter. There are still places where the data is compelling enough that parents would be wise to consider it seriously.

Bedtime and sleep are perhaps the best examples. Imagine a scenario in which a family has two kids in elementary school and one parent gets a new job. It’s a great job! But the commute is long, and that parent can’t realistically be home before 8:30 p.m. The kids go to bed at 7:30. How would you weigh the value of a child’s seeing both parents in the evenings against the value of sleep?

Answering this requires, among other things, an understanding of the evidence on sleep. Does one hour less sleep matter?

It may not seem like a lot but, it turns out, it does. In one randomized controlled trial, children ages 8 to 12 did worse on tests of working memory and math (and their parents reported lower attention and poorer emotional control) after several days in which they slept just an hour less than usual each night. Evidence from other studies , on variations in school start times that have a relatively small impact on sleep, also makes clear that more sleep helps kids.

Does this necessarily mean that you wouldn’t want to push bedtime to accommodate the long-commute parent? No. But it’s a part of the picture. And you can make decisions about bedtime and dinner once, and then move on.

The other hallmarks of this stage, though, are the bigger decisions — about school, activities, emotional challenges and, of course, when can I get a phone?

This leads us to the second element of parenting deliberately: giving these occasional big decisions the attention they deserve without giving them all of the attention. Striking that balance requires a system for making these choices. There are a lot of good systems, but I’m going to suggest one that is easy to remember, the Four F’s: Frame the question, fact find, final decision and follow up.

To see how this piece of the approach might work, let’s examine a hypothetical family trying to choose a school for the oldest of their three children, a 5-year-old. Here’s the problem. They live in a good public school district (it’s part of the reason they bought a house there) but as they approach kindergarten, they’re wondering if maybe they should send their oldest to the private school in their town. Is it worth it?

What’s difficult about this question is the many moving parts. Financial constraints, logistics, questions about how to figure out what is the better school, or the better school for their child. This can lead to a kind of decision paralysis, where we’re thinking about the decision all the time, but never actually making it. The Four F’s system forces the decision into a time frame.

How would that work?

This may seem obvious — we’ve already established that the family needs to choose between the public school and the private school — but this first step is to frame the question. This is also an opportunity to establish feasibility. Private school is expensive. Is it possible, and what would it mean giving up? The family has three children; if they send one child, is that committing them to sending the other two? Before even getting into the data on school quality, there is a need to ask the basic question of whether there really is a choice to be made.

The family thinks private school is feasible, if a stretch. The second big question: Is it worth it? This is the moment for fact finding. Is private school really better? Part of what makes this question so hard is knowing what we mean by “better.” Much of the research-based data defines “better” as “It leads to better test scores.”

In my family, we have decided that having dinner together, at 6 p.m., is among our most important priorities.

Even this limited question is complicated to answer.

A basic issue is that you cannot simply evaluate whether private schools produce better outcomes than public schools by comparing children who go to the two kinds of schools. Private school attendance is associated with many other features of families, which may affect the outcomes for children. So a straightforward comparison is unlikely to yield anything of value.

What to do? The ideal is to look at some type of randomized controlled trial. If researchers could randomly allocate children to schools, they could learn about whether some types of schools deliver better outcomes than others. It turns out this is partly possible, using data from school lotteries, in which schools allocate their classroom spots through a random selection process.

Charter schools have been used to study the effects of school lotteries, but there’s also some evidence relevant to private schools. Lotteries for monetary vouchers that can be used for private schools have been run in a number of cities, including New York and Washington, and studies on children who received the vouchers do seem to find some moderate positive effects, especially for African-American students. An older study in Milwaukee found faster growth in math test scores for students who won a voucher lottery, compared with those who didn’t, and a more recent study in Washington found that students with vouchers had higher high school graduation rates.

The results are not overwhelmingly positive. One issue is that private schools that participate in voucher programs can be of lower quality than average, which is why they have open slots available for voucher programs. For this family, the voucher data may not be that useful.

It might be more helpful to them to look at the features of a school that correlate to better test scores. Among the most consistent findings is the role of class size: A large number of studies have demonstrated that smaller class sizes raise student achievement in both the short and longer term. At least one paper, which attempted to look closely at what makes some charter schools work well, argued that more instructional time, more comprehensive teacher feedback and more tutoring, among other measures, are correlated with success.

Pulling this all together, the family should use the fact-finding portion of this decision making to collect more information about the two schools — their class sizes, their teacher training and their test scores. They should also find out whether the “feel” of the school would work for their child.

The final step here is to plan a time to make a final decision, recognizing that they will need to grapple with questions that go beyond the data. It is impossible to be sure the decision is right; but it is possible to know you made it in the right way. And even a big decision like this isn’t necessarily permanent. “Follow up” means to plan a time, perhaps after the first year, to consider whether a change is needed.

A system like this may seem like a lot of work and not sufficient to address deeper structural issues faced by so many American families, like the need for more pay, better child care, more parental leave and stronger family ties.

This isn’t a magical formula. I do believe strongly, however, that all the constraints that families face (money, time, energy) are reasons to seek out better decision making, not to give up on it.

Parenting deliberately — in any decision — isn’t going to give us all the control we want. If the past 18 months have taught nothing else, it is the lesson that some parts of life are simply beyond our control. And there is so much at stake. If I choose the wrong school, or allow my child to use social media too early or fail to nurture some special talent, am I forever affecting the person my child can become? That is really what it is about. The choices we make will shape, at least in part, the adult our child becomes. We can never know whether our choices are right. But every parent can have the confidence to know that we made the choices in the right way, that we did our best in the moment. And that, itself, should deliver comfort.

Emily Oster ( @ProfEmilyOster ) is a professor of economics at Brown University and the author of “ The Family Firm: A Data-Driven Guide to Better Decision Making in the Early School Years ,” from which this essay is adapted.

Animations by Erik Carter.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram .

Essay Editor

Essay about Ethical Decision Making

Ethical decision-making is the process of choosing between various options, where the choices are guided by ethical principles and values. This essay explores the foundational rules of ethical decision-making, the possible and ideal ground rules, the implications of such decisions, and the application of a personal ethical framework to a difficult decision in my life. We will delve into the significance of ethics in decision-making processes and speculate on potential improvements for the future.

List of Essays

What are the ground rules, what are the ethical implications of the decision, professional and public perception, legal and environmental consequences, integrity and self-worth, empathy as a guiding principle, the imperative of respect, pursuit of fairness and justice, ethical integrity in practice, applying a different decision-making process in the future, sample of an outline for essay on ethical decision making.

Ground rules in ethical decision-making are the basic principles that guide our actions and judgments. These principles form the moral bedrock upon which we build our choices, and they are essential in establishing a sense of trust and order within society. Honesty demands that we adhere to the truth and present information in a clear and unambiguous manner. Integrity compels us to maintain our moral convictions consistently, even when faced with personal or professional challenges. Fairness requires that we distribute benefits and burdens equitably, recognizing the inherent dignity and rights of all individuals. Respect is about acknowledging the worth of every person and their viewpoints, ensuring that we treat others as we would wish to be treated. Lastly, responsibility involves recognizing the impact of our actions on others and the environment, obliging us to take accountability for the outcomes we create.

Every decision has ethical implications that can significantly impact individuals, communities, and the environment. Ethical decisions can enhance or harm reputations, influence public perception, and either build or erode trust. They can also have legal consequences and affect one's sense of self-worth and integrity.

Every decision has ethical implications that can significantly impact individuals and communities. Ethical decisions have the potential to affirm personal rights and well-being or, conversely, compromise them. They shape not only immediate personal outcomes but also influence the broader social fabric. The ripple effects of these decisions can foster trust and social cohesion or lead to discord and a decline in communal trust.

In the professional sphere, the ethical implications of a decision can enhance or harm reputations. They shape public perception and have the potential to either build a reputation for integrity or erode it. This is particularly critical in an era where information is rapidly disseminated, and public opinion is swiftly formed.

Decisions carry legal consequences and have a direct bearing on one's adherence to societal rules and regulations. Moreover, they can have a profound environmental impact, contributing either to the sustainability of our planet or to ecological challenges.

At the core of the ethical implications is the concept of integrity. Decisions that are made with ethical consideration reinforce one's sense of self-worth and integrity. They contribute to an internal sense of moral alignment, which is integral to personal identity and self-esteem. Conversely, unethical decisions can lead to an internal moral conflict and undermine one's self-regard.

Central to my ethical stance is empathy, a deliberate practice that enables me to comprehend and consider the impact of my actions on others. It transcends emotional reaction, fostering a deeper connection with those around me and ensuring a compassionate approach to decision-making.

Respect is imperative in my code of ethics. Treating individuals with dignity, honoring their autonomy, and valuing their worth are acts of engagement that form the respectful approach I uphold in my interactions.

Fairness and justice are the scales on which I weigh my actions, seeking equity and righteousness beyond the confines of law. They demand personal accountability and a dedication to an equitable application of ethical standards.

In essence, my ethical framework is about integrity. It is a living philosophy, protective and introspective, requiring continuous self-honesty and an open-minded pursuit of knowledge. It shapes not just my decisions, but my aspiration to contribute positively to the world, affirming a commitment to growth and ethical living.

In anticipation of future ethical dilemmas, I'm resolved to augment my decision-making process by weaving in principles of virtue ethics to highlight moral character, alongside the practical wisdom of pragmatism. This enriched approach promises a more comprehensive consideration of the nuances of right action, fostering decisions that not only resolve dilemmas but also contribute to personal and societal moral growth.

A structured outline for an essay on ethical decision-making might include:

Introduction to ethical decision-making
Exploration of current and potential ground rules
Discussion on ideal ethical ground rules
Examination of the implications of ethical decisions
Presentation of a personal ethical framework
Reflection on a difficult ethical decision
Application and assessment of the personal ethical framework
Consideration of diverse decision-making processes
Conclusion summarizing the key points

In conclusion, ethical decision-making is an essential aspect of human interaction and society. Establishing ground rules, understanding their implications, and applying a personal ethical framework are key to navigating complex moral landscapes. As we grow and learn, our ethical decision-making processes must also evolve, adopting a more inclusive and reflective approach to ensure decisions are fair, just, and beneficial for all involved.

Recent articles

Aithor's new brand identity.

Hello Aithors! We're here to share some exciting news with you. We've given ourselves a makeover, and we're thrilled to unveil our new brand identity! Our brand has always been about making AI-writing a seamless and secure experience. But we wanted our brand to really represent what we're all about: ease of use, speed, innovation, reliability, and a bit of rebelliousness. So, we’ve updated our look! Our new logo is a visual metaphor that uniquely combines the concepts of undetectability and sc ...

Interface is now available in Portuguese and Spanish

Hey aithors! We're excited to share with you that our interface is now available in Portuguese and Spanish. With more than 500 million Spanish and more than 250 million Portuguese speakers, we believe that this new update will enhance the experience on our platform. Our team worked closely with native speakers to make sure the translations considered all the nuances and peculiarities of the languages. For us, it’s a great opportunity to make Aithor as accessible as possible for users across th ...

Home / Essay Samples / Business / Decision Making / Making Informed Choices: the Importance of Decision Making

Making Informed Choices: the Importance of Decision Making

Category: Life , Business , Education
Topic: Decision , Decision Making , Personal Statement

Pages: 1 (645 words)

Downloads: -->

--> ⚠️ Remember: This essay was written and uploaded by an--> click here.

Found a great essay sample but want a unique one?

are ready to help you with your essay

You won’t be charged yet!

Special Education Essays

Graduation Essays

College Education Essays

Brittany Stinson Essays

Related Essays

We are glad that you like it, but you cannot copy from our website. Just insert your email and this sample will be sent to you.

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Your essay sample has been sent.

In fact, there is a way to get an original essay! Turn to our writers and order a plagiarism-free paper.

samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->