Listicle: Learn not to agonise over every decision you make

There are many decisions where the costs of being wrong are not that big

Do you find yourself revisiting every decision you make, agonising over whether it really was the right one? Here’s how to stop looking back with regret.

1 Get some perspective "There are a lot of decisions where the costs of being wrong are actually not that big," says Sydney Finkelstein, faculty director of Dartmouth's Tuck Center for Leadership. If you're juggling other more important decisions and issues, "why spend another minute wondering about the 'what ifs?' " he says.

2 Check your gut If you initially aren't feeling confident about a chosen path, don't discount where your intuition has led you. Try keeping a journal of recent decisions. Hopefully you'll find that your intuition has led you in the right direction over time. Reviewing decisions in this way should help you become more self-assured.

3 Poll a group of "advisers" "Have a group of people who are your sounding boards" and seek their input, says Amy Jen Su, cofounder of Paravis Partners. Their wisdom can help you feel more comfortable with your chosen path.

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4 Get comfortable with adjustments Few decisions are irreversible. "There's a real tyranny to trying to be perfect," says Finkelstein. "It's important to remember that you can't possibly be right about everything." And in nearly every scenario, chances are "you can fix and adjust it," he says.

5 Make a date to check in One of the best ways to stop questioning a decision in the moment is to make a plan to formally review it at a later date. It could be in a few weeks, or a few months – whatever feels appropriate. Add a reminder to your calendar.

6 Balance your decision biases going forward People tend to approach choices from either a subjective, emotion-driven perspective or an objective, logic-based one, says Su. But, to feel confident about a course of action, you need to make sure you consider it from all angles.

Copyright Harvard Business Review 2015