Decision Making Prompt Templates
AI prompt templates for decision making. Analyze options and make informed decisions.
Overview
Decision making prompts help you think through choices systematically instead of going in circles. They're particularly useful when you're stuck between options that all seem reasonable, or when emotions are clouding your judgment. The AI acts as a thinking partner who asks the questions you might be avoiding.
Best Practices
State what you're actually improving for. 'Best' means nothing without criteria
Include the options you're considering, even ones you're leaning against
Share relevant constraints like budget, timeline, or non-negotiables upfront
Ask for blind spots and counterarguments, not just validation of your preference
Prompt Templates
1. Weighted Pros and Cons
I'm deciding between these options: [OPTIONS] Context: [SITUATION] My priorities are (in rough order): [PRIORITIES] Create a weighted pros/cons analysis. Don't just list generic points. Focus on factors that actually matter given my specific priorities. Then give me your recommendation with reasoning.
Options: 1) Accept job offer at startup (higher equity, lower salary), 2) Stay at current company (promotion likely in 6 months), 3) Keep interviewing Context: 5 years at current company, good relationship with manager, startup is Series B in my industry Priorities: Learning and growth, financial stability, work-life balance
For growth: Startup wins (new challenges, smaller team = more ownership). Current company: promotion means more of the same. Financial stability: Current company wins short-term, startup could win big long-term but higher risk. Work-life: Current company wins (known culture vs. startup uncertainty). Recommendation: If you're craving growth and can handle 18 months of lower salary, take the startup. If stability matters more right now, stay and take the promotion.
When you have 2-4 clear options and need to evaluate them against what you actually care about
- •Force yourself to rank priorities. 'Everything matters' isn't helpful
- •Ask the AI to challenge your priority rankings if you want a reality check
2. Pre-Mortem Analysis
I'm leaning toward this decision: [DECISION] Context: [CONTEXT] Run a pre-mortem. Imagine it's [TIMEFRAME] from now and this decision turned out badly. What went wrong? Give me the 3-5 most likely failure modes, how probable each one is, and what I could do now to prevent or mitigate them.
Decision: Launching our product without the reporting feature to hit our Q1 deadline Context: Enterprise customers have asked for reporting, but we have strong core features. Competitor just launched. Timeframe: 6 months
Failure mode 1 (High probability): Enterprise deals stall because procurement requires reporting for compliance. Mitigation: Get LOIs that explicitly accept reporting in v2. Failure mode 2 (Medium): Early customers churn when they can't prove ROI to their bosses. Mitigation: Offer white-glove manual reporting for first 10 customers. Failure mode 3 (Low but severe): Competitor's launch steals your positioning and you're seen as 'the one without reporting' forever. Mitigation: Control the narrative, launch fast with strong PR.
When you've made a tentative decision but want to stress-test it before committing
- •Pick a realistic timeframe. Too short and you miss slow-building problems
- •Don't use this to talk yourself out of every decision. Some risk is unavoidable
3. 10/10/10 Framework
I'm facing this decision: [DECISION] Options: [OPTIONS] Help me think through this using the 10/10/10 framework: - How will I feel about this decision 10 minutes from now? - How about 10 months from now? - And 10 years from now? Be specific to my situation, not generic. Then tell me what this analysis suggests about the right choice.
Decision: Should I have a difficult conversation with my cofounder about their performance, or wait and see if things improve? Options: Have the conversation this week, wait another month, bring in a mediator
10 minutes: Having the conversation will feel awful. You'll be anxious and possibly face defensiveness. Waiting feels safer. 10 months: If you waited, the problem likely got worse or you're still frustrated. If you talked, you either fixed it or learned it's unfixable, both better than limbo. 10 years: You'll barely remember the discomfort of the conversation, but you'll definitely remember if avoidance killed the company. Suggestion: Short-term discomfort almost always loses to long-term clarity. Have the conversation.
When short-term discomfort is making you avoid something that's probably right long-term
- •This framework is especially good for decisions you're procrastinating on
- •Be honest about the 10-minute feelings. Acknowledging discomfort helps you push through it
4. Reversibility Check
I need to make this decision: [DECISION] Help me understand how reversible this choice is: 1. What would it take to undo or change course if it doesn't work? 2. What's the actual cost of being wrong (time, money, relationships, opportunity)? 3. Is this a one-way door or a two-way door? Based on this, should I decide quickly or take more time to analyze?
Decision: Switching our team from Slack to Microsoft Teams because leadership wants to consolidate tools
Reversibility: Medium. You can switch back, but it's painful (migration, retraining, lost message history context). Cost of being wrong: 2-3 months of reduced productivity, team frustration, some political capital spent. Door type: Two-way, but with friction. Recommendation: This is reversible enough that you shouldn't agonize, but costly enough to do a proper 2-week pilot with one team first. Don't just flip the switch company-wide.
When you're not sure whether to decide quickly or keep researching
- •Most decisions are more reversible than they feel in the moment
- •For true one-way doors, invest heavily in analysis. For two-way doors, decide and iterate
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Asking for a decision without sharing your values and constraints. The AI can't know what 'best' means for your specific situation
Using decision frameworks to procrastinate. At some point you have to choose and live with uncertainty
Only looking for validation. If you've already decided, own it. Don't pretend you're still analyzing
Frequently Asked Questions
Decision making prompts help you think through choices systematically instead of going in circles. They're particularly useful when you're stuck between options that all seem reasonable, or when emotions are clouding your judgment. The AI acts as a thinking partner who asks the questions you might be avoiding.
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