We're faced with decision-making almost every minute. Should I take this road or that one? Should I buy this shirt or the other? But some aren't that simple, it's the decisions we face rarely that end up shaping our lives.

It's decisions like going to graduate school or getting a job, moving abroad or staying home, getting married or waiting a bit longer; those are decisions that can't be made in a split second.

The good thing is there are always ways to make such situations easier, so following are five tips you'll need to know.

1. Give your gut feeling a chance. We might tend to ignore that feeling we get in the pit of our stomachs, but the truth is it's our instincts that tend to be right a lot of the times. Date things back to the Stone Age and you'll see how a split-second decision has quite often saved a person from being killed by a wild animal. Now, it's true that we don't live in the Stone Age anymore and we probably don't face the threat of wild animals, but that doesn't change the fact that our instincts are there for a reason. We're not telling you to immediately go with that feeling, but give it a chance and think it over.

2. Write a list. When you've got a decision as big as "Where do I go to college?", thinking about it won't cut it. You need to write down your thoughts because you can't juggle a million of them. Seeing your thoughts helps you view things from an outside perspective and an objective stand. Write a list and go over it meticulously. You'd be surprised how easily things flow after that.

3. Take your time. We're not saying spend half an hour deciding whether you should have tea or coffee in the morning; we're telling you to take your time with those that are life-changing. Don't feel obliged to make the decision the second you are given that task. Instead, give yourself some distance to be able to view the matter from a more comfortable perspective. Pressure clouds your judgment, so allow yourself to take the time you need.

4. Look at it from different angles. When photographers want to take a picture and portray it accurately, they try to take the shot from different angles, so why should this be any different? Always look at the question you have and try to rephrase it in several ways. When you force yourself to look at the question in different ways, you're most likely to be able to find different solutions to choose from.

5. Don't be afraid. You might not take the decision right away, but when you know you've got all the data, facts, and means to make it, you cannot procrastinate. Rationalize and take the decision. If it's not the right one, you will work on making it better and learn for times to come. If it is, you move on to the next decision.

Our lives are a series of decisions. And as tempting as it may seem, we can't run away from them; they'll always have a way to catch up. Luckily enough, as long as we're living, we can always make new ones and end up with different results. And as cliché as this seems, we really do live and learn.

Cover credit: Learning-mind.com (full link)