#ibproblems

As you are probably aware the IB involves a crazy amount of decision-making, so spending 2/3 of your time carefully formulating titles and obsessing over minute details is not advisable. Of course, the paradox is that you must develop passion and interest for a subject, must have a unique preposition to every other student ever and often in too little time.

As a bit of a perfectionist, I empathise with those of you who wish there were just 3 more hours of the day to think it out. However, if this year and the IB have taught me anything, it’s that more time does not necessarily or likely lead to more work done or decisions made and that in the case of a ‘Do-I, Don’t-I’, 'Yes-No’ situation, the former is often the best way to go.

So how can we make those elusive, quick, deliberate and definitive decisions a reality?

Pre-preparation - thinking about documentaries, blogs, podcasts, interesting facts mentioned in passing etc. Anything that has interested you, even briefly, in the past can be viable basis for a future project, so jot it down, research, make links - above all, be a curious and continuous learner and ideas will present themselves readily when needed

Get Specific - restricting your focus makes the vast amount of information available on the internet, in the library etc. look far more manageable and allows you to make real forward progress.  Brainstorming and mind-maps can really help with this. You should not focus on the question, but rather on answering one! (I am probably the biggest culprit of over-researching)

Consider Pros and Cons - for me, nothing is more useful than writing a list of benefits vs. risks. Sticking as far as possible to the hard, objective facts, dispelling myths and taking emotions out of the equation can really help to reason your way to the best answer

Talk it out - often friends and family will help to reinforce something you already think or may even introduce a new, clarifying perspective; but, more importantly, talking to someone about how you feel can help to straighten out all your thoughts and forces you to be coherent and honest about 'why and why not?’

Go with your Guts - at the end of the day, whilst taking on board advice and listening to the help of others, this has to be your decision!

 Finally, Don’t Dwell on it - asking 'Was this the right choice?’ and second-guessing yourself only leads to more time spent, less time acting upon the decision and more angst. Move on, leave the decision in the past and persevere. The likelihood is that if you followed the above steps, the decision cannot have been anymore perfect.