Every day, we make thousands of decisions—most of them small and routine, like what to eat for breakfast or wear to work. But as decisions grow bigger, emotions often take over, making it harder to stay clear-headed.

The higher the stakes, the harder it is to stay objective. Emotions and biases creep in, making it easier to second-guess ourselves later.

Whether it’s deciding the next big move for your company or choosing the home where you’ll raise your family, big decisions are inherently emotional. But when possible, they should be made with clear minds and intent—not in the heat of the moment.

Successful decisions—the kind you feel good about long after—balance two key ingredients: time and information.

Without enough of either, decisions feel rushed or uncertain. And the bigger the stakes—financial, relational, or otherwise—the more time and information you’ll need. So how can we make sure we have both?

Take your time.

The time you take to make a decision can be just as important as the information you gather. Even a few extra hours or days can reduce the chance of an impulsive decision.

Think back to the last time you bought a car or spoke to a salesperson at your door. You’ve probably heard, “I can’t guarantee this offer will still be available after today.” This tactic creates urgency by making you feel you don’t have enough time to think things through.

In reality, most offers are still available later because businesses want your purchase. But by manufacturing urgency, salespeople shift your focus to fear rather than facts.

In real estate, urgency often drives emotional decisions. Sellers may overstate competition to push buyers into quick offers and buyers create artificial deadlines to pressure sellers into accepting offers sooner, eliminating potential competition. These tactics work because they shorten time for reflection—emphasizing emotion over logic.

Selling a home can be especially emotional. Even as a professional, when I sold my own home, it was hard to stay objective. Buyers’ critiques felt personal, and knowing I needed to sell to move forward added pressure. I asked myself questions like, “Will this offer be my best chance? What if they move on?”

Shortening the timeline, with manufactured deadlines or legitimate ones, creates a fear-of-missing-out trap. Buyers will compete in bidding wars and sellers will accept low-ball offers when they could have potentially done better and made more money by allowing more time for more buyers to see the home. In both cases, the best thing we can do is pause to let our emotions settle. Ask yourself two key questions: Do I have all the facts? Do I need more time?

Time allows for more information.

Knowing the facts empowers better decision making, and it can take time to get all the facts and information you need. Unless you’re an expert in the field you are making the decision in, you may need days or even weeks to learn what you need to know to feel comfortable, but you often only have hours, or a day at most.

Think back to buying a car. Most of us test-drive it, check the features, and imagine it fitting our lifestyle. But pricing varies so much across vehicle trim models—even across state lines—that it’s hard to know if we’re getting the best deal. And with salespeople working for the dealership, not for us, we often lack the information we need to negotiate confidently.

A home purchase is quite a different experience. There is more due diligence built into the process, and most buyers are represented by someone whose sole job is to negotiate on the buyer’s behalf and provide information. Inspection and appraisal allow for even more information after getting an offer accepted, but if you have made it to the point of inspection, you already, hopefully, have the information you need to feel comfortable with the price you have paid and the home itself.

Even if you have to make a snap decision, if the relevant information is available and you have a professional adviser you trust, you can move forward with confidence. When my wife and I bought our first home in 2020 at the height of low inventory and bidding wars, we didn’t even get to see our home before making an offer. But we had the information and we trusted the source of the information, our real estate agent. Having someone work for us who has the expertise and knowledge of where to find information and how to contextualize it, we felt comfortable making the biggest financial decision of our life having not seen the home in person.

Now, as a real estate professional myself, I have done the same for clients and felt confident that the information I gather and convey is the best and most comprehensive, allowing them to move forward, or not, with confidence.

Preparation fosters confidence.

Watching the money you saved disappear for a home, car, or engagement ring is tough—no matter how confident you are. But preparation reduces regret. The more information you have before making the purchase or decision will lead to long-term satisfaction.

Before deciding, ask yourself: Do I have all the information I need to feel confident about this decision? (If not, what’s missing and how can I get it?) Have I given myself enough time? (If not, what’s stopping me).

When possible, lean on trusted advisers—professionals, mentors, or friends who know your goals. They can stay objective and hold you accountable to priorities you set before emotions got involved.

Big decisions always will carry an emotional weight. If you take your own future seriously, the decisions you make now matter. By giving yourself time, gathering the right information, and leaning on trusted advisers, you can replace uncertainty with confidence. The goal isn’t to remove emotion entirely, but to balance it with proper preparation so you can move forward with clarity and peace of mind, knowing you made a wise and informed decision.

Branden Griffith is a Realtor doing business in Washington and Idaho with Schoenrock Griffith, a Spokane-based Windermere City Group LLC team.