Since decision making is usually a time consuming process, time is an important resource for making optimal decisions. The allocation of less time than what is needed for making decision can cause a feeling of time stress and can harm the optimality of the decision making process. In contrast to travelling by car, it is not possible to simply stop at the side of an airway while flying and analyse the situation.

Every good decision-making process must take this into consideration. To improve the quality of decision, if the time is not the immediate limiting factor, a pilot should take all the available time that he needs to make up his mind and should try not to feel pressured to speed up the decision-making process unnecessarily by his crewmembers. Rushed decision should be avoided, as these will increase the risk of overlooking important facts and losing situational awareness.

It is important to emphasise that, during flight, the overall situation is constantly evolving and changing. Therefore, decisions only remain valid for a limited period of time - until the next change in the overall situation occurs. Thereafter, a new decision is needed.