Oliver Burkeman in his book Four Thousand Weeks, nailing it again.
“In his 2011 book ‘Time Warrior’, the coach Steve Chandler refers to this sort of decision-making as “choosing”, and contrasts it with “trying” to decide, or trying to figure things out. You could waste months trying to figure out how to (say) write a screenplay. But to choose one opening scene from among the list of three or four options you’ve managed to come up with? That’s well within your capacities – and you can do it in mere moments.
Suppose you are vaguely wondering about leaving your job. That’s a question you could spin your wheels about for years. But right now, you could select the person in your social circle most likely to have some good advice on the matter, then email them about meeting up for coffee.
“Most people believe a deficit in knowing is their problem,” Chandler writes. They “believe that they don’t know what to do, so it will take time before they do it… But choosing? Takes no time. When you choose, you’ve already chosen.”
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What an incredible thought. I hope it has inspired you to choose today.
Andy.