How to Know If You Made the Right Decision (and Stop Second-Guessing)
You can't judge a decision only by how it turned out, because outcomes involve luck. Instead, check the process: did you use the information you had, weigh what mattered to you, consider risks, and act in line with your values? If yes, it was a sound decision, even if doubt remains.
You made the call. You signed the lease, sent the email, accepted the job, or ended the relationship. And now your mind keeps asking the same question: "Was that the right thing to do?"
Second-guessing is exhausting, and it rarely produces a clear answer. This guide gives you six practical checks to evaluate your decision fairly, and a plan for what to do with the doubt that remains.
Why "Was it the right decision?" is so hard to answer
The trouble is that you're usually judging the decision by its outcome. But outcomes depend on things you couldn't control: timing, other people, luck. A good decision can turn out badly, and a careless one can turn out fine.
Professional poker players and investors call this mixing up decision quality and outcome quality. A more useful question is: "Did I decide well, given what I knew at the time?" That you can actually answer.
It's also worth knowing how regret tends to work. In a 1995 review in Psychological Review, Thomas Gilovich and Victoria Medvec found that in the short term, people tend to regret their actions more, but over the long term, they tend to regret things they didn't do. So the sting you feel right after acting may be partly about timing, not about the quality of the choice.
How to know if you made the right decision: 6 checks
Go through these honestly. Write a short answer for each.
Check 1: Did you use the information you had?
You can only decide with what's available. Ask: Did I gather reasonable information, given the time and stakes? Did I ignore any clear warning signs?
If you didn't have a piece of information that only appeared later, that's not a flaw in your decision. That's hindsight.
Check 2: Did you weigh what actually matters to you?
Look back at what you prioritized. Did the choice respect your most important values or needs, such as security, growth, health, relationships or freedom? A decision aligned with your real priorities is usually defensible, even when it's hard.
If you didn't clearly define your priorities at the time, write them down now. You may find the choice fits better than your doubt suggests.
Check 3: Did you consider what could go wrong?
Good decisions don't avoid all risk; they acknowledge it. Did you think through the main risks and have some plan for them?
Gary Klein's "premortem" technique, described in a 2007 Harvard Business Review article, asks you to imagine a decision has already failed and list why. If you did something like that before deciding, that's a sign of a careful process. If you didn't, you can still do it now to prepare for problems ahead.
Check 4: Did you decide for your reasons, not someone else's?
Was this choice yours? Decisions made mainly to please someone, avoid conflict or match what others expect often lead to lingering doubt. That doesn't make them wrong, but it's worth noticing.
Check 5: Were you aiming for "good enough" or "perfect"?
In a 2002 study, Barry Schwartz and colleagues found that "maximizers", people who always seek the best possible option, tended to report less satisfaction and more regret than "satisficers", who choose an option that meets their standards. If you're still comparing your choice to an imagined perfect alternative, your doubt may be coming from that habit, not from the decision itself.
Ask: Does my choice meet my main standards? If yes, it's good enough, and that's a valid result.
Check 6: How do you feel after the first wave of emotion settles?
Right after a big decision, almost everyone feels some anxiety or loss. That's normal. Look for the feeling underneath after a few days: relief, quiet confidence or a sense of alignment are encouraging signs. Persistent dread, or a strong pull toward the other option that doesn't fade, may be worth exploring.
Worked example: judging a move by process
The decision: You moved to a new city for a job. Three weeks in, you're lonely and wondering if it was a mistake.
- Information: Yes. You researched the role and the cost of living, and visited once.
- Priorities: Yes. Career growth and independence were your top two. The new job delivers on both.
- Risks: Partly. You knew loneliness was a risk but had no plan for it.
- Your reasons: Yes. It was your idea; no one pushed you.
- Good enough: Yes. It met your standards; you're comparing it to a fantasy version where you'd already have friends.
- Feeling after settling: Lonely in the evenings, but excited at work. Mixed.
Verdict: The process was solid. The decision was reasonable. What needs attention is the one gap, a plan for building a social life, not the decision itself.
Next step: "Join the running club on Saturday mornings and invite one coworker for coffee this week."
A copy-and-use decision review checklist
``` DECISION I MADE: DATE:
[ ] I used the information reasonably available at the time [ ] My choice fits my top 2–3 priorities: __ [ ] I considered the main risks (or I'm doing a premortem now) [ ] I chose for my own reasons [ ] It meets my "good enough" standard [ ] After the first emotional wave, I feel: __
What's actually bothering me (decision or adjustment?): One action to support this choice: Review date (when I'll check in again): ```
Signs you probably made the right decision
No single sign proves a choice was right, but several together are encouraging:
- You'd make the same choice again with the same information, even knowing what you know now about how you'd feel.
- Your reasons still make sense when you explain them to someone you trust.
- The doubt is about details, not direction. You're unsure about the commute or a new colleague, not about the overall move.
- You feel lighter, even if things are hard, because the open question has finally closed.
- You're starting to adapt: building routines, making plans and investing in the new situation.
- The other option looks less shiny over time. Early on, the path not taken often seems ideal. If that fades, it's usually a good sign.
If most of these apply, your doubt is likely normal adjustment rather than a warning signal.
What to do with doubt that won't go away
Give it a fair trial period
Many decisions need time to show their real effects. Set a review date, such as one month or three months, and promise yourself you won't relitigate the choice until then. This turns endless second-guessing into a single scheduled check.
Separate the decision from the adjustment
New situations are uncomfortable, even when they're right for you. Ask: "Am I unhappy with the choice, or with the transition?" Transitions get easier; wrong choices usually don't.
Know when to change course
Changing your mind is not failure. If important new information appears, if a real deal-breaker shows up, or if the trial period confirms the choice isn't working, adjusting is a sign of good judgment. Our guide on how to make big life decisions covers how to approach those moments, and how to make a decision when you can't decide gives you a structured method if you need to choose again.
Stop replaying it
If the question keeps looping, you're likely ruminating rather than evaluating. See how to stop ruminating for techniques to step out of that pattern. And if you've concluded the choice really didn't work out, read how to get over a bad decision.
How unLooper can help
If doubt keeps circling, unLooper's Overthinking Breaker is a guided session of about three minutes that separates fact from fear, helps you find other angles and ends on one small doable step, like the "join the running club" example above.
For decisions still on the table, Decide for me lets you weigh options against what matters to you with weighted criteria, then gives an honest AI review of the trade-offs before you make the call. Mood check-ins can help you track how you feel over your trial period. Reflections stay private on your device, with no ads.
The bottom line
You'll rarely get certainty that a decision was "right". What you can know is whether you decided well: with the information you had, for your own reasons, in line with your priorities, and with an eye on the risks. If the process holds up, give the choice a fair chance, support it with action, and let the outcome unfold.
Frequently asked questions
How do you know if you made the right decision?
Look at how you decided rather than only at what happened. If you considered your real priorities, used the information available, thought through risks and chose in line with your values, the decision was sound. Feeling calm or relieved over time can also be a helpful sign, though some doubt is normal.
Is it normal to doubt a decision after making it?
Yes. Most meaningful choices involve giving something up, so it's natural to feel some loss or doubt afterwards. Doubt alone doesn't mean you chose wrong; it often means the options were close.
Should I reverse a decision if I regret it?
First ask whether new, important information has appeared or whether you are reacting to normal adjustment discomfort. If something has genuinely changed and reversing is possible at a reasonable cost, it can be the right move. If not, it usually helps to give the decision a fair trial period.
Why do I regret things I didn't do more than things I did?
Research by Gilovich and Medvec suggests that in the short term people tend to regret actions more, but over the long term they tend to regret inactions more. Missed chances can loom larger with time because we imagine how they might have turned out.
Fahd Chouki is an independent developer and the founder of unLooper. He writes practical guides on overthinking, sleep and decision-making, summarizing published research into steps you can use the same day.
How we write: every guide is based on peer-reviewed research listed in the sources, reviewed for accuracy and updated when evidence changes.
Sources & further reading
- Gilovich, T., & Medvec, V. H. (1995). The experience of regret: What, when, and why. Psychological Review, 102(2), 379–395. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.102.2.379
- Schwartz, B., Ward, A., Monterosso, J., Lyubomirsky, S., White, K., & Lehman, D. R. (2002). Maximizing versus satisficing: Happiness is a matter of choice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(5), 1178–1197. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.83.5.1178
- Klein, G. (2007). Performing a project premortem. Harvard Business Review, 85(9), 18–19.
This article is for general information and self-reflection. It is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor or licensed mental-health professional.