WheelySpin Spin the wheel Spin

Can’t Decide? How to Make Random Decisions That Actually Help

by

What should we eat? Which film tonight? Where should we go this weekend? Small decisions like these take up a surprising amount of time, and in a group they can turn into a long back-and-forth where nobody wants to be the one who chooses. Letting chance decide is a simple way out, and it works better than you might think.

Why we get stuck on small decisions

Small choices are hard for the same reason big ones are: the options are close. When one restaurant is clearly the best, nobody has to think. It's when there are five decent options that we stall. In a group, politeness makes it worse. Everyone says "I don't mind" so they won't be blamed for a bad film.

And after a long day of making choices at work or school, even an easy question like what to have for dinner can feel like one choice too many.

When random decisions work best

Letting chance pick is a good fit when:

  • Every option is one you'd be happy with
  • The decision is low-stakes or easy to undo
  • You've already spent longer deciding than the choice deserves
  • A group needs a neutral way to settle it, so nobody's opinion wins

It's a poor fit when one option is clearly risky, when there's a right answer you're avoiding, or when the decision affects people who haven't had a say.

How to set up a fair decision wheel

  1. Write down only the options you'd actually accept. If you'd veto it, leave it off.
  2. Keep the list short. Three to eight options is plenty for most decisions.
  3. Agree on the rules before you spin, such as one spin decides, or best of three.
  4. Spin, and stick with the result.

Make your own decision wheel

Want one option to be more likely?

Add it twice. An option that appears twice in a list of five entries has a two-in-five chance instead of one in five. It's an easy way to lean the wheel towards favorites without leaving anything out.

The gut-check trick

Sometimes a random pick isn't about following the result at all. Spin the wheel or flip a coin, and notice your first reaction when it lands. A flash of relief means it picked well. A twinge of disappointment tells you what you really wanted. Either way, you've decided, and it took seconds.

Flip a coin

Ready-made wheels for everyday decisions

You don't have to build every list yourself. These wheels come with sensible options already filled in, and you can edit any of them:

Making random decisions as a group

With friends or family, let everyone add one option to the wheel, then spin once. Everyone had a say, nobody had to be the decider, and the result is hard to argue with. If someone really hates the result, give each person one veto per night and spin again.

Need to pick a person and a task at the same time, like who cooks and what they cook? Switch the spin wheel to Several wheels and spin them together. For more ideas, browse all our decision tools.

Free tools for this