[MRM]

I follow Dr. Who's approach. It is quite effective.

You think it over in your mind for a while and try to come to a conclusion about the pros and cons of going each direction. Then you bring out a coin and flip it with the understanding that if it comes up heads you will go one direction; tails and you will go the other direction.

As the coin is tumbling in the air you will find that you are hoping that the coin will come up either heads or tails. That's your instincts are telling you is the best decision.

When given limited data to decide the outcome of some question, and where you can't know the right answer until after you've made your decision, studies have shown that going with your visceral gut reaction - your instincts, if you will - gives you the best outcome. More data tends to make the person feel better about his decision but tends to result in a worse outcome.

I think the reason for this is that we make the best decisions when we are most emotionally detached and most objective. More data sometimes is just more of a distraction. If you can find a way to strip away the things that cloud your judgment based just on the facts and deductions that are most important, you make the best decisions.

That's what flipping the coin does. It strips away all the extraneous stuff and leaves your mind unclouded to tell you what is really the best decision.