Which habit should I start?
A weighted decision matrix: enter your candidates, say how much each criterion matters and score them. It returns a winner, the margin and the criterion that decided it. An example is already filled in.
The matrix · score from 1 to 5
| Candidate | How much it changes 5 | How easy it is 4 | How much I want it 3 | How soon it shows 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64% 45 pts | |||||
| 87% 61 pts | |||||
| 70% 49 pts |
The result
Start with "Read 10 pages"
It wins by 17 points over "Lights out at 11pm", and what decides it is "How easy it is". With that margin there is nothing left to weigh up.
How to use a weighted decision matrix
Enter candidates, not categories
"Run for 20 minutes three days a week", not "do some exercise". If the candidate cannot be done tomorrow at a specific time, it is not a candidate yet: it is a wish.
Pick four criteria at most
Beyond four everything ties, because the differences spread out and cancel. If in doubt, keep impact, ease and desire: in practice those three decide almost every time.
Set the weights before you score
In that order, not the other way round. If you score first and adjust the weights afterwards, what you are really doing is hunting for the weights that agree with the option you already wanted.
Score 1 to 5 and look at the margin
If the winner is more than 10 points clear, it is decided. If it wins by under 5, the matrix is telling you it hardly matters: take the easiest one and move on.
The arithmetic
points = Σ (weight × score)maximum = Σ (weight × 5)% = points ÷ maximum × 100
It is expressed as a percentage so the totals stay comparable when you change the weights. Without that, raising one weight inflates every row and it looks as though everything improved.
The weights are the decision
The matrix does not decide: it makes visible what you already decided when you set the weights. That is exactly where its value is. If the result annoys you, do not change the scores: check whether the weight you gave each criterion is really the weight it has in your life.
When not to use a matrix
There are three cases where building one is a waste of time, and they are worth spotting before you fill anything in.
When a criterion has a veto
If the habit clashes with your schedule, your injury or the people you live with, it is not an option with a low score: it is an option that is out. Take it off the table instead of giving it a 1.
When you can do both
If two candidates are small and do not compete for the same slot in the day, there is nothing to choose. A matrix helps when the scarce resource is real: your attention while the habit still costs something.
When you already know
If you build the table to talk yourself into something you had already decided, the result will agree with you, because you set the weights. In that case the better question is not which one to start, but why you have not started it.
And one final check
Before you accept the winner, run it through the other tool: see whether your day fits. A habit that wins the matrix and does not fit the calendar loses anyway.
Questions
What is a weighted decision matrix?
A table where the rows are the options, the columns are the criteria, and each criterion carries a weight according to how much it matters to you. Each option is scored on each criterion, score times weight, and the products are summed. The highest total wins. It is used in project management and purchasing, and it works just as well for deciding which habit to start.
What weights should I use?
From 1 to 5, and not all the same: if everything weighs the same, you have not weighted anything. The practical rule is that only one or two criteria get a 5. If you end up with four fives, you have not chosen yet.
What if the result is a tie?
A tie is information: it means the decision is not important and that what is stopping you is not the choice. Take the one you can do tomorrow with the least preparation and start there. In two weeks you will know more than any table can tell you.
Do you store what I type?
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You have your winner. Do not leave it in the table
Put it in Monkway, give it a time and let it remind you. If it turns out not to be the right one, swap it: that is what the ideas tray is for.
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