Preview text: More thinking is not always the answer.

Researchers distinguish between two types of stuck decisions. One is an information problem. The other is a commitment problem.

They look identical from the outside. They need opposite responses.

An information problem goes away when you learn the missing thing. A commitment problem does not.

You can run the analysis three more times, consult two more trusted people, build another framework. The data arrives. The decision stays where it was.

Most circling decisions are the second kind. The evidence is already in. You are waiting for the decision to feel safer.

It will not.

Mindset Hack

Before you seek one more opinion, ask yourself: “Am I looking for information, or for permission?”

If it is permission, no amount of research will give it to you. That has to come from you.

The Habit That’s Costing You

Consulting as a way of avoiding commitment. One more trusted person. One more framework. One more week to think.

Not deciding is still a decision. It has a cost. The avoided promotion. The delayed hire. The unsaid thing. Name the cost.

“Clarity comes from engagement, not thought.” — Marie Forleo