Decision wheel: a decision maker that gives you a next step
Spin the decision wheel when you are stuck and it hands you a next step: Do it now, Wait a week, Ask a friend, Sleep on it, Do the opposite or Go for it. Choosing between real options instead? Replace the six slices with your own and spin.
Press Spin, click the wheel, or press Ctrl + Enter.
Results
- Your results will appear here.
How to use a decision wheel
Write the decision down
Put the choice into one sentence, such as “Sign up for the pottery class”. A vague worry is hard to act on; a written sentence is not.
Pick your mode
Keep the six preset outcomes to get a next step, or open Edit as text and paste your actual options, one per line.
Spin once and act on it
Press Spin and treat the result as your plan for today. If you find yourself spinning until you like the answer, you already know what you want.
How can a wheel help you make a decision?
A wheel helps by ending the loop, not by knowing the answer. When options feel equally good, more thinking rarely adds information; it only adds tiredness. A spin gives you permission to stop weighing and start doing, which is why a decision maker wheel works best on choices that are already narrowed down to reasonable options.
Psychologists use the term decision fatigue for the drained feeling that follows a long run of choices. We collected what is known about it, and why a random pick can be a sensible response, in decision fatigue and random choice.
What do the six outcomes mean?
| Slice | What to do next |
|---|---|
| Do it now | Take the first small action within ten minutes: send the email, book the slot, open the form. |
| Wait a week | Put a reminder in your calendar for seven days' time. If it still matters then, decide. |
| Ask a friend | Describe the choice to one person whose judgement you trust, and listen before you argue. |
| Sleep on it | Decide tomorrow morning after rest, not late at night when everything feels bigger. |
| Do the opposite | Seriously consider the option you were leaning against. Often it shows you why your first instinct was right. |
| Go for it | Commit to the choice without another round of pros and cons. |
How do I put my own options on the decision wheel?
Open Edit as text, delete the six outcomes and type your choices, one per line. A good list has between two and eight options you would honestly be happy with. If typing one of them makes your stomach sink, leave it off: the wheel should only ever choose between acceptable answers.
Keep each option short and concrete. “Apply for the Leeds job” is better than “career change”, and “Paint the hallway on Saturday” beats “house stuff”. If you plan to reuse the wheel, our guide to making a custom wheel covers colours, titles and share links in more detail.
Should I use weights on a decision wheel?
Use weights when you have a preference but still want chance to have a say. Give your favourite option a weight of 3 and the others 1, and it will win most spins without being guaranteed. Leave weights off when the wheel is settling something between people, such as which friend picks the restaurant, so nobody can claim it was tilted.
For the everyday debates that come up again and again, there are ready-made wheels such as the what to eat wheel and the what to do wheel.
When should you not let a wheel decide?
Do not hand a wheel anything involving your health, money you cannot afford to lose, legal matters or someone else's safety. Those choices deserve real information and, often, advice from a qualified professional. A wheel is a tie-breaker for choices where every outcome is fine, and a mirror that shows you which result you were secretly hoping for.
A two-minute routine for a stuck decision
- List the options and cross out any you would regret.
- Spin once, and only once.
- Watch your first reaction to the result: relief or a sinking feeling.
- If it is a sinking feeling, pick the other option on purpose. Either way, act today.
Ranking a handful of options rather than picking one? Tick Remove the winner after each spin and spin them off one at a time; the order they leave the wheel is your ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What is a decision maker wheel?
It is a spinner that picks one option for you at random. This one starts with six practical next steps, such as Sleep on it and Ask a friend, but you can replace them with any options you are choosing between, up to 200.
Should I use my own options or the preset ones?
Use your own when you already know the choices, for example three holiday destinations. Use the preset outcomes when the real question is whether and when to act, because they turn a vague worry into a specific next step.
Can I stop the wheel from repeating an option?
Yes. Tick “Remove the winner after each spin” in Settings, or choose “Remove it and spin again” in the result pop-up. Either way, each option can only win once until you reset the wheel.
What if I keep spinning until I get the answer I want?
Then the wheel has done its job by revealing your preference. Stop spinning, choose the option you were hoping for and move on. Working out what you want is the hard part, and you have just done it.
Can I share my decision wheel with someone else?
Press “Share or embed” to copy a link. Whoever opens it sees your exact options and colours, so a partner or friend can spin the same wheel on their own phone and see the same choices.