#179: Can "Competing Values" Complicate Decisions?

Limitations: Problem… or shortcut? If you’ve ever hit a point in a decision where you feel stuck, frustrated, or boxed in by your options, this episode will change how you handle that moment. Because limitations don’t have to derail your decisions. They can actually make them easier. Here’s where we go today: The two ways to respond when you feel limited (and why both can move you forward) How to use constraints to make faster, cleaner decisions When frustration is actually a signal to change the rules, not force the choice If you tend to get stuck when your options feel too narrow, this will give you a clear next step every time.   👉 Links!  How you can make your decision process easier:  Grab the Decision Ease Essentials: Your shortcut to clear-headed, intentional choices Stop Second-Guessing Training: The step-by-step method to get out of post-decision panic and move forward with confidence - without needing proof you “chose right.” Inquire about working together in a private, targeted single or multi-session format Free guide: 5 Things Clear-headed Decision Makers Get Right

If the idea of “networking” makes you want to disappear into your couch, this episode is for you. Because what most people think networking is 😱 isn’t actually networking. And the way you’ve been trying to do it might be making it harder. Here’s where we go today: Why “having fun” is more effective than asking for help (yes, really) The simple shift that makes people want to help you How to network without forcing yourself into rooms you don’t want to be in If you’ve ever thought “I’m bad at networking” or “I don’t know what to say,” this will change how you think about it entirely (as well as the  results you get from it)!   👉 Links!  Grab Laura's new book Hate Networking Less Subscribe to the Hate Networking Less Podcast Listen to Laura's other interview on this pod: "The Best Way to Pitch Your Project or Yourself" on Apple or Spotify NEW TRAINING: Stop Second-Guessing: The step-by-step method to get out of post-decision panic and move forward with confidence - without needing proof you “chose right.” Free guide: 5 Things Clear-headed Decision Makers Get Right

Why do smart people second-guess decisions so much? 😱 In this episode, we unpack a simple formula that explains why intelligent, thoughtful people often get stuck in endless decision loops. Because the problem is not that you are overthinking. It is that your brain is really good at generating possibilities and you may not be setting boundaries around that process. Here’s where we go today: The simple equation that explains why smart people second-guess more Why intelligence and imagination can create endless outcomes The one element that turns overthinking into clear decisions If you've ever wondered why decisions can feel easy in one area of your life and exhausting in another, this episode will help you see what is actually happening.     👉 Links!  NEW TRAINING: Stop Second-Guessing: The step-by-step method to get out of post-decision panic and move forward with confidence - without needing proof you “chose right.” Join the Decision Ease Program to get the full Decision Ease Framework to make easier, aligned choices Free guide: 5 Things Clear-headed Decision Makers Get Right

It's time for one of the most life-changing check-ins you can do: How much of your life right now is intentional, and how much is just leftovers? In this episode, we zoom out from tools and tactics and ask a bigger question about the decisions already playing out in your life. Because many of the things shaping your days are not decisions you are actively making right now. They're decisions you made once that simply kept going. Here’s where we go today: The idea of “decision leftovers” and why they quietly run so much of our lives How years can pass maintaining the status quo without ever re-choosing it The one question that can help you avoid regret later If you have ever looked around your life and thought “how did this become normal?” this episode will help you reconnect with the fact that you are still in charge of what comes next.   👉 Links!  NEW TRAINING: Stop Second-Guessing: The step-by-step method to get out of post-decision panic and move forward with confidence - without needing proof you “chose right.” Join the Decision Ease Program to get the full Decision Ease Framework to make easier, aligned choices Free guide: 5 Things Clear-headed Decision Makers Get Right

Option overload is one of the fastest ways to make a simple decision feel impossible. (If you've ever spent more than twenty minutes picking your seat on the plane, you get it.) 🫨 Today’s episode gives you a simple tool to cut through analysis paralysis so you can make the choice and move on with your life. Here’s where we go today: The surprisingly simple tool that stops endless comparison The mindset shift that makes the tool actually work (ps: this will lower stress and make you feel so much better about your choices) The great news about having three good options you can't choose between  Close your tabs and step away from the computer. This decision is done! 👉 Links!  NEW TRAINING: Stop Second-Guessing: The step-by-step method to get out of post-decision panic and move forward with confidence - without needing proof you “chose right.” Join the Decision Ease Program to get the full Decision Ease Framework to make easier, aligned choices Free guide: 5 Things Clear-headed Decision Makers Get Right

Post-decision panic: normal, or a problem? If you’ve ever made a decision and immediately felt nervous, urgent, or like you needed to undo it, yup, this episode is for you. Because yes, post-decision panic can be completely normal. But it can also become a habit you don’t have to live with. Here’s where we go today: Why your brain can panic after ANY decision (even low-stakes ones) How cognitive biases make committing to a choice feel risky The key question to ask before changing a decision If you’ve ever wondered whether discomfort means you chose wrong, this will help you understand what’s actually happening.   👉 Links!  NEW TRAINING: Stop Second-Guessing: The step-by-step method to get out of post-decision panic and move forward with confidence - without needing proof you “chose right.” Join the Decision Ease Program to get the full Decision Ease Framework to make easier, aligned choices Free guide: 5 Things Clear-headed Decision Makers Get Right

Today we’re talking about righteous victimhood - the mindset where you’re more focused on what’s unfair than on what you can do next (and end up justifying inaction). And real quick - You might actually be right about the unfairness. That’s not the problem. The problem is when staying right starts costing you your agency, your options, and your self-trust. Here’s where we go today: What “righteous victimhood” actually means in decision-making The signs you’ve shifted from self-compassion into stuckness The difference between validating your pain and defending your limitations The three practical shifts that move you out of stuck and back into agency Why you don’t have to choose between being right and being happy If you’ve been stuck replaying what should be different, and you’re tired of feeling justified but not empowered - this is for you. This episode will help you reclaim control, without gaslighting yourself about what’s hard.   👉 Links!  NEW TRAINING: Stop Second-Guessing: The step-by-step method to get out of post-decision panic and move forward with confidence - without needing proof you “chose right.” Join the Decision Ease Program to get the full Decision Ease Framework to make easier, aligned choices Free guide: 5 Things Clear-headed Decision Makers Get Right

 Competing priorities. BOO. 👎 This is where a lot of smart, self-aware people get stuck — feeling like everything is equally urgent, equally important, and impossible to decide between. Here’s where we go today: The surprising history of the word "priority" — and why it might change your whole life Why trying to make multiple things “most important” creates instant decision friction The 3 main ways “competing priorities” show up (and what’s actually happening underneath) A simple shift that can bring clarity to "prioritizing" right away If you’ve ever felt like you have too many priorities, too many demands, or no clear place to start — this episode will help you rethink how prioritizing actually works so decisions get easier.   👉 Links!  NEW TRAINING: Stop Second-Guessing: The step-by-step method to get out of post-decision panic and move forward with confidence - without needing proof you “chose right.” Join the Decision Ease Program to get the full Decision Ease Framework and my 1:1 help using it to make your life easier Free guide: 5 Things Clear-headed Decision Makers Get Right

Today we’re continuing last week’s core values conversation and tackling the moment I really don't want you to worry about:  “What if my values are in competition with each other?” Here’s where we go: Why “competing values” usually isn’t the real problem (and what actually is) How circular thinking keeps you stuck in the confusion cave 🫣 The one question that shortcuts you out of all-or-nothing decision loops How to make a clear, confident choice without needing a perfect emotional outcome If you’ve ever felt stuck between a rock and a hard place - or like every option means sacrificing something important - this episode will help you find your way back to clarity.   👉 Links!  Free Core Values PDF including BONUS Exercise NEW TRAINING: Stop Second-Guessing: The step-by-step method to get out of post-decision panic and move forward with confidence - without needing proof you “chose right.” Join the Decision Ease Program to get the full Decision Ease Framework to make easier, aligned choices Free guide: 5 Things Clear-headed Decision Makers Get Right

Today's the day 🙌 Time to update your Core Values. Because when those are clear, decisions get dramatically easier. Here's where we go today:  The shift that turns Core Values from "nice ideas" into real decision-making shortcuts How people typically complicate or underuse values (aka what you're not going to do) The 3 specific requirements to use, in creating your Core Values list How to set yourself up so future decisions don’t require a full mental debate every time   👉 Links!  Free Core Values PDF including BONUS Exercise Free guide to make your week easier today: 5 Things Clear-headed Decision Makers Get Right Join the Decision Ease Program before the price goes up January 26, 2026!