When you're too close to a decision, try talking to yourself in the third person, asking your future self what matters in ten years, or imagining what you'd tell your best friend. These distance-creating tricks bypass the emotional fog that hides the answer you already know.
Are you struggling with a decision right now? This might be the problem: you're too close to it. And this might be the solution: get some distance. Here are 3 techniques for doing that. Technique number 1: talk to yourself in the third person. I'm serious. For me, that would mean this: instead of asking myself, what should I do? I would ask myself, what should Dan do? Research shows that this trick helps you think more objectively. It's like giving advice to someone else. Here's the second technique: ask your future self. Imagine having a conversation with yourself 10 years from now. Would future you even care about this decision? What advice would they give? It instantly puts things in perspective. And the third technique: give advice to your best friend. Ask yourself, in this situation, what would I tell my best friend to do? The answer is usually obvious. When you're stuck, use one of these techniques. The answer you need may already be there. You just need a way to see it.
