3 ways to hone your intuition to make better decisions

Leaders make numerous decisions every day, but the best decisions are often made when we turn away from data and scenario planning and trust our instincts, which are honed from years of experience, writes Joanne Chan, the chief executive officer at Turner Duckworth. Develop your intuition by coming up with several solutions to a problem and gravitating toward what feels best and have trusted colleagues you can bounce your ideas and solutions off of to get diverse points of view, Chan advises.

Put it into practice: "Using instinct doesn't just mean running with the first thing that comes to mind," Chan writes. Instead, it means weighing the different options, getting diverse feedback and being willing to fail forward so you learn from all of your experiences.

If you're having trouble with your memory, feeling moody, struggling with decision-making or making more mistakes than usual, you may not be getting enough good, deep sleep, writes executive coach Naphtali Hoff. Ensure enough shut-eye by setting a regular sleeping schedule, even on the weekends, and avoiding large meals, vigorous exercise or prolonged screen time before bed, opting instead for a warm bath, gentle movement or meditation, Hoff recommends.

Put it into practice: If you're having trouble getting to sleep, check your habits before going to bed and be aware of your stress levels, Hoff writes. "Managing stress through relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or yoga, can also improve sleep quality by reducing the mental and physical tension that can interfere with rest."

Keep politics in the office from becoming too heated and distracting by listening more than speaking so you can help team members find common ground, directing them back to their work and being clear about policies in such areas as discrimination and professional conduct, writes Stephen Nalley, the founder & CEO of Black Briar Advisors. "Remember, the goal is not to manipulate or outmaneuver others but to create a positive and productive work environment where everyone can thrive," Nalley notes.

Put it into practice: Other ways to keep office politics from boiling over are to not participate in or spread any gossip you hear and document the work you do in case disputes arise, Nalley advises. The best advice Nally offers is knowing when to walk away if the situation gets too toxic or intense.

If you're putting off some tasks while you take a moment to read this story, you're among the 71% of people who tend to regularly procrastinate, according to a survey by Talker Research on behalf of Dave's Killer Bread that also found procrastinators fill their time with television, social media scrolling or taking a nap. Those trying to break the habit say they gamify their tasks, rewarding themselves with a snack or some short scrolling time on their phone.

Comedian Stephen Colbert and his wife, Evie McGee Colbert, have released a new cookbook, "Does This Taste Funny?", which combines family recipes with insights into their relationship, with an emphasis on having fun and not taking cooking too seriously. In this Q&A with Bon Appetit, the Colberts tell the full "spoon story" that shaped their cooking dynamics -- which is only alluded to in the book -- and Stephen also shares his dream of having the Pope on a cooking segment of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert."

I learned a valuable lesson years ago about the perils of not trusting instinct. I had moved into a new house and was renting out my old house. The best tenant I ever had moved out, and I put it back up for rent. I received a phone call from a woman who asked about renting it. While on the phone, I had this gut feeling that I should not rent to her. There was a voice in my head yelling, "Tell her it's rented!" I inwardly groaned when I heard myself say, "Yes, it's still available."

Within the first year, I had to initiate eviction proceedings and spend time repairing the damage she had done to the house.

I knew, somewhere in my gut, just during a phone call, that this person was bad news. Indeed, I didn't do my due diligence after that phone call (this was my first time as a landlord), so that's on me, but if I had gone with my gut, I could have avoided a bad situation.

As Joanne Chan writes, trusting your instinct doesn't mean going with your first thought. Instead, it means seeking out several solutions and then trusting the one that feels the best. We do this best with the feedback and advice of others, Chan notes.

"We can make cases for why we made a certain choice, but with practice and experience we can also grow confident to say, 'Because I felt it in my heart.' As leaders, we should probably say that out loud more often," Chan writes.

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