You have just been offered what looks to be a great job that may lead to a great career. Should you jump at the opportunity and tell the company right away that you will take the job?

Some may believe that is the way to go, but psychologists have found that when you are faced with a really big, important decision, the best course of action actually may be to not act on it right away, to take a little time and sleep on it.
 
When confronted with a big decision, often we feel that we have to decide instantly, because of some other kind of pressure from outside, or because we just feel the need to go with our gut. 

But social psychologists who have studied the situation say that sleeping on it is usually the best course of action.  This is because it gives our unconscious minds time to review the facts of the case.  Our mind is actively engaged in weighing the pros and cons.  Sleeping on a decision allows us to separate what is essential from what is superficial.  Our unconscious can actually work through a lot of information if we give it the time. 

So, when confronting a big decision, the psychologists recommend, first, gather as much information as possible.  We should first use our conscious minds to gather all the facts.  And at this point, some clearly bad courses of action can be eliminated.

Then sleep on it.  You need to give your unconscious mind time to sift through the information without interference from your conscious mind.  Then after you have made a decision, run it through your conscious mind again as a kind of double check on the accuracy of your unconscious.  Does it all make sense?   Does it all hang together?

Now, in the middle of a busy day it may not be practical to just take time off to take a nap so you can sleep on your decision.  But there are many other ways to distract your conscious mind so that your unconscious can go to work – listening to music, exercising, doing some other task.  Then, after a little while, after you have been distracted from the issue, one course of action will just feel right. 

After considering your decision a little further with your conscious mind, that’s the course you should take. 

One decision that’s easy to make is sending your resume to a recruiter at RealStreet Staffing. We can find the right position for you whether it’s in construction, engineering, or architecture. So contact us today.