Making smart choices: how to think about your whole decision problem: a proactive approach --
Problem: how to define your decision problem to solve the right problem --
Objectives: how to clarify what you're really trying to achieve with your decision --
Alternatives: how to make smarter choices by creating better alternatives to choose from --
Consequences: how to describe how well each alternative meets your objectives --
Tradeoffs: how to make tough compromises when you can't achieve all your objectives at once --
Uncertainty: how to think about and act on uncertainties affecting your decision --
Risk tolerance: how to account for your appetite for risk --
Linked decisions: how to plan ahead by effectively coordinating current and future decisions --
Psychological traps: how to avoid some of the tricks your mind can play on you when you're deciding --
The wise decision maker: how to make smart choices a way of life.

Where should I live? Is it time to get a new job? Which job candidate should I hire? What business strategy should I pursue? We spend the majority of our lives making decisions, both big and small. Yet, even though our success is largely determined by the choices that we make, very few of us are equipped with useful decision-making skills. Because of this, we often approach our choices tentatively, or even fearfully, and avoid giving them the time and thought required to put our best foot forward. In "Smart Choices," John Hammond, Ralph Keeney, and Howard Raiffa--experts with over 100 years of experience resolving complex decision problems--offer a proven, straightforward, and flexible roadmap for making better and more impactful decisions, and offer the tools to achieve your goals in every aspect of your life. Their step-by-step, divide-and conquer approach will teach you how to: Evaluate your plans; Break your potential decision into its key elements; Identify the key drivers that are most relevant to your goals; Apply systematic thinking; Use the right information to make the smartest choice. "Smart Choices" doesn't tell you what to decide; it tells you how. As you routinely use the process, you'll become more confident in your ability to make decisions at work and at home. And, more importantly, by applying its time-tested methods, you'll make better decisions going forward. Be proactive. Don't wait until a decision is forced on you--or made for you. Seek out decisions that advance your long-term goals, values, and beliefs. Take charge of your life by making "Smart Choices" a lifetime habit.