I notice that when people get confused about a decision or a situation, they say “I don’t know.”

I ask, “what don’t you know about?”

“I don’t know, nothing seems clear.”

“What are the options immediately in front of you?”

I then take two options and put them on a table. Option 1 goes to column 1, option 2 goes to column 2.

I ask, “what are the benefits of each option?” I write the benefits in the second row under each option.

I then make two rows below benefits. The first row is “Opportunity Cost” and the last row is “Benefits Lost.”

I then ask the person to pick an option. The “Opportunity Cost” of the option they pick is always the next best alternative, and the “Benefits Lost” is always the benefits of the next best alternative.

People tell me that the table creates decision-making clarity for them.