Episode 139 • Making a Decision
Sleep on it
Make an informed decision
Take the plunge
Make an executive decision
Bite the bullet
Story
Wendy: Okay, wait… I said ‘Wait’! One moment. Okay. Alright, open your eyes!
Robert: Uhm, what am I looking at?
Wendy: Our new house!
What? It’s a joke, right?
Wendy: Well, no. I did it, babe. I got us our dream house.
Robert: Hold on, you- You already signed the contract and everything. Without even talking to me first? I thought we said we were going to sleep on it.
Wendy: Yeah, and I did and I woke up this morning and realized that this is it. This is the house.
Robert: We haven’t even done any research on the area. I mean, don’t you want to make an informed decision? Especially when you’re deciding where you’re going to spend the rest of your life?!
Wendy: Yeah, I mean. I get it but… I don’t know. I just feel like you always find something wrong with every house that we see. It was time to take the plunge, baby. No house is going to be perfect, you know?
Robert: I just can’t believe you did this without even talking to me first.
Wendy: Well, I did try to call you this morning but you weren’t answering your phone so I made an executive decision. The lady said there was already another offer and she recommended we just bite the bullet and get it if we didn’t want another couple living in it.
Robert: Yeah, of course she would say that because she wants to sell you the house! I- I mean, what’s even the point of arguing anyway? It’s not like we can do something about it, now, right?
Wendy: Right, so, let’s just be positive, okay? Come on, let’s go in. See? Don’t you think it looks even better than the last time we saw it.
Robert: I don’t know. I guess it’s- I mean, I have to admit it… It’s a really gorgeous house.
Wendy: See? Oh my gosh, Robert. We’re going to be so happy here.
Robert: Yeah, I guess you’re- What- what is that?
Wendy: What?
Robert: That sound.
[Train passing by]
Robert: Is there a train station nearby?!
Wendy: Yeah, it’s one of the main stations in the area and it’s just a two-minute walk from here. Isn’t that super convenient?
Robert: Oh, no…
Questions
Well, that sucks. I think that that's one of my main fears when buying a house. I never bought a house. I cannot even afford to buy a car, to be honest with you. But, you know, future me imagining herself buying a house. You know, it's a big fear. Like what if you buy it and then you discover something terrible about the house and you can't do anything about it because you've already, you know, taken out a mortgage and all these things? So, yeah, definitely a fear of mine that apparently made it into the story.
Sleep on it
'I thought we said we were going to sleep on it.'
• When would you use the expression “sleep on it”? Before or after making a decision?
Whenever making a decision, you want to sleep on it before making it. So before deciding on anything, it's a good idea to sleep on it.
• And when making a decision, if you want to sleep on it, when are you likely to make that decision? That same day or the following day?
So if you are unsure what to do and you want to take some time so you want to sleep on it, it's likely that if you use this expression, you're going to make that decision the following day. You're kind of giving yourself a night to think about it and maybe discuss it with some other people. It's obviously a figure of speech when you say that you're going to sleep on it. It's not like you're going to wake up in the middle of the night from your sleep and be like, I've got it. I know. I know what I have to do. But it is- I think it's a very nice way, especially if you're being pressured to make a decision on the spot and you want to take some time to really reflect, to think about things, it's really something polite that you can say to someone else, be like, Hey, you know, it's a good idea, but I want to sleep on it, so just give me some time. And usually when you say that, the following day, again, he doesn't have to be the following day can take you a couple of days to come to a decision. But yeah, you're just basically buying some time.
• And when making a decision, why would you need to sleep on it?
Well, it's actually a very wise thing to do because you don't want to make an impulsive decision. I know that very well because I've made tons of impulsive decisions in my life. So I think it's always good, actually, even when you're feeling super sure and super confident about a decision, I think it's always a good thing to just sleep on it, take, you know, a few hours, a day, whatever, to really consider, you know, what the consequences might be. And that way you're going to feel more confident when it's time to make that decision.
• If you have to make a decision, do you usually sleep on it?
I think- All right. I used to be terrible. So I used to be- I'm still pretty impulsive, especially when it comes to purchases. But I think maybe two or three years ago, I was just the worst. So whenever I had to make a decision, I would definitely not sleep on it. I was always like, you know, I would think of something and then I would find a way to get it or I would find a way to do it. It was pretty bad. Now I think I've gotten better. I'm not the kind of person that can wait too long before doing something. If I feel like I do want to do it right now, I'll give myself maybe like a day. And to me, like 24 hours from the moment I wanted to make a decision, to the moment I actually make the decision is a lot. So I think I've made some really good progress in that department.
Make an informed decision
'I mean, don’t you want to make an informed decision?'
• If you make an informed decision, do you do some research before making that decision or not?
Yes, you do. That is why it's called an informed decision, because you gather all the information that you can about whatever it is that you're trying to decide on. And then you take that information and based on that, you actually make the decision. And hopefully, you know, the best decision.
• Is making an informed decision a good thing?
Absolutely. I mean, I guess this is the opposite- An informed decision is the opposite of what an impulsive decision would be because when you're just impulsively making a decision, you really haven't thought things through. You don't know what is going to happen, how that decision is going to affect your life, your finances, your, you know, whatever. But if you you're also like you're not sure if you're going to get the best product for the best price because you don't know what else is out there. But if you make an informed decision and you have all the information that you need, so say that you want to buy a new phone. Well, you're not just going to go to the first store and ask the, you know, the guy, Hey, which one should I buy? You, in that case, want to make an informed decision. You want to maybe check out some reviews, compare a few phones, and then, with that information, you can go ahead and make the decision.
• Do you usually make informed decisions?
I think I- I want to say that I do now. In the past, like I've always cared a lot about the design of the things that I bought of- I don't know. It was just something. These were the two things that I cared about. It was the design. I wanted something that was pretty and I wanted something quickly, so I wanted whatever was available at the moment. If I had to choose between two things, and for one I had to wait two weeks. No, I wanted the one that I could get right then and there, which is terrible, I know, but I think I've matured, luckily. And I think now I do make more informed decisions, especially when it comes to things like technology. I've recently had to get a new computer. I bought a few like things for work in general, and again in the past I would have not cared about anything really. I would have just like maybe picked the first thing that Amazon suggested to me. But now I do actually go on YouTube, maybe watch a few reviews and, you know, just in general, I ask questions. Maybe I get help from my boyfriend because he knows a lot more about technology than I do. So, yeah. And just to give you an example. So this was me, I want to say, eight years ago I had to get a new computer and I walked into the store and I found the guy that was like, you know, that can assist me. And when he asked me, what kind of computer I wanted, I said, I want a white computer because that was like that was the only thing that I cared about. And he kind of looked at me like, Really? Like, really? So, yeah, definitely- There's a huge difference between me then and me now. I still care about, like, nice things, but I do make an informed decision. I do compare, I do shop around trying to find the best deal and especially the best quality.
Take the plunge
'It was time to take the plunge, baby. '
• If you take the plunge, do you make a decision or do you delay it?
If you take the plunge, you make a decision. So taking the plunge is exactly that moment when you're like, okay, let's do it. I've made up my mind. I've decided.
• If you take the plunge, does that mean you’re making a decision about something you’re pretty confident about or that you’re pretty nervous about?
If you take the plunge, that means that you're finally making a decision about something that you were pretty nervous about. You were scared. It can be a bunch of things that can be like, I don't know, making a big purchase like a house. But it can also be like leaving your job or getting married or having a baby. So these are all big decisions that might make you scared. So you might try to put them off, put them off until you get to a point and you're like, okay, fine, you know, whatever. Let's do it. Let's take the plunge and just do it.
• When was the last time you weren’t sure whether to do something or not and then finally took the plunge and did it?
Well, I have I think a lot of- I can think of, a lot of, you know, times when that happened. But probably one of the most significant ones is the time that I had met a guy on Tinder. We'd been talking for, I think not even two weeks, I'm pretty sure. And I, you know, wasn't sure I how that was going to go on. And finally, you know, after quite a bit of consideration, I was like, you know what? Let's just take the plunge. And I bought a ticket and went to New York to meet him. And now I forget if I've already told you the story, but- because I've lost track of what I've told you, what I haven't told you yet. But if I haven't, I'm sure it's going to come up at some point. And it's quite the adventure.
Make an executive decision
'… you weren’t answering your phone so I made an executive decision.'
• If you make an executive decision, do you include other people in the decision or not?
No. If you make an executive decision, you do not include other people in that decision. Even though those people were supposed to be included in the decision. So this is the key thing. It's not just about you making decisions or, you know, deciding things for yourself, for your life. It's about you deciding on something that's going to affect you and someone else without consulting them, without talking to them first.
• What’s the typical scenario in which one might have to make an executive decision?
Well, I think a very clear example would be kind of what happened in the story. So I have to make a decision. I have to be quick about it for whatever reason. And I try to call you because I know that we have to make this decision together. You don't pick up the phone. So you know what? I'm left with no choice but to make this decision on my own. And so I'm going to make an executive decision, meaning, you know, I guess that's why it's called an executive decision, because you're kind of like, you become in charge, you're the boss. You don't and, you know, the boss doesn't really talk with their employees when it's time to make a decision, they just make it. And so that's what you do. You're like, okay, I guess it's just, you know, it's going to be my responsibility and I'm going to choose what I think is best. And sometimes the other person might be okay with it. And sometimes when they find out that you've made an executive decision, they might be really mad at you. Who knows?
• When was a time when you had to make an executive decision?
I don't think so. I mean, I might have said that So I don't actually make a lot of executive decisions because especially like- I know that if it's something that is going to concern me, I would want the other person to involve me in the decision-making process. It's just, you know, I hate- I would hate- It doesn't happen that much, luckily. But sometimes it happens and I get so upset when I find out that somebody made a decision that involved me and didn't talk to me beforehand. It drives me crazy. So I don't do that to other people. Or at least I try not to. I limit my executive decisions as much- as much as possible, but I guess maybe last weekend, that's not long ago- no, but last weekend I wanted to spend a fun day with my boyfriend and so I decided- He was not at home. So I got up in the morning. I went downtown. And then I bought a game for our Nintendo Switch and it's like this video game. It's- It's a really fun video game that he had talked to me about. So I knew that he liked it and wanted- would have liked to buy it. But I also know that we weren't doing too well with money in that moment. And so it wasn't the best idea to purchase it. But I made an executive decision in that moment because I thought that that was going to be a good decision for the both of us. And he wasn't around. So it's not like I could ask him. And also, I was glad that he was not around because I'm pretty sure he would have said, No, let's not buy it. So I don't know if that was like an executive decision or me just going behind his back. Maybe the-Maybe it's the latter, but let's just call it an executive decision. And yeah, so I went ahead and I bought it and I didn't tell him anything. And then I showed up with the game and he was- I guess he was happy. He had a first moment of like, Oh my gosh, again, like, I can't believe you did it. I can't leave you alone for 2 minutes. But then we're having a lot of fun playing it. So I think he was happy about it.
Bite the bullet
'… she recommended we just bite the bullet and get it...'
• If you bite the bullet, do you make a decision or do you delay it?
If you bite the bullet, you make a decision. Again, "biting the bullet" means- is that moment- represents that moment when you finally make a decision.
• If you bit the bullet, does that mean you took a long time to come to that decision or that you made that decision quickly?
If you bit the bullet, that probably means that it took you a long time to come to that decision. Or at least you were very torn about what to do. You maybe spent a lot of time thinking about whether it was a good idea or not, or whether you should wait or not. And finally, you're like, okay, here we go. Let's let's just do it. In a way, it's very similar to "taking the plunge", but I guess "taking the plunge" kinda- is more about the fear that comes before making a decision, whereas "biting the bullet"- So, for example, you would say, before getting married or making a very big purchase. "Biting the bullet" can also be for small things like, Oh, I don't know, shall we get a new chair for the for their living room or not. Yeah, whatever. Let's just bite the bullet and do it. So it's more about like that moment when you want to show that that's it. You've finally made up your mind and you're ready to make a decision. But they're both very, very similar.
• When was the last time you weren’t sure whether to buy something or not and then finally decided to bite the bullet?
So it was , I think a month ago, because I was going through a really difficult time personally. I was working a lot. I was not leaving the house much. I was not getting any exercise. And I could feel it affect my body. Like I know that when I go out for a walks, I feel better. But unfortunately, because of work and other things, I, I wasn't able to go out as much as I would have liked to. And again, I felt like it was really taking a toll on me. I felt like it was really affecting my mental health and my physical health as well. And so I realized that- I don't know why, but I had this epiphany and I was like, Oh my gosh, I should get a walking pad. Which, if you don't know, is this treadmill type of thing that you place underneath your desk. And that way, if you have an adjustable desk whose height can be adjusted, then you can basically walk while you work. And I just thought, okay, this is amazing because this way I can, you know, get my steps in. But I don't have to cut down on the amount of hours that I work. It's like the perfect solution. But it was obviously, you know, a very big expense because between the desk and the and the walking pad, it was something like €700, which I did not have in my bank account. I had some money saved up for my to pay my taxes. And I'm still like, I'm hoping that I'm going to have enough at the end of the month to pay. And so I think I waited about two days because, you know, I realized, oh, my gosh, I want it so bad and this could be the solution to a lot of my problems. But then at the same time, I was looking at my bank account being like, this ain't happening. But finally I talked with my mom, who is the worst and the best, actually, because whenever I don't know whether to do something or not, she's just always like, Yeah, go for it. If it makes you happy, go for it. She's super supportive, but she's not very objective when giving advice. And so, you know, that's all I needed to hear. She said, Go, go for it. I think it's going to be great for you. And I was like, You know what? Yes, it is going to be great for me. And so I finally bit the bullet and bought it. Well, I bought both the desk and the walking pad, and I couldn't be happier. So thankfully, it was a good decision.
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