Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.

— Napoleon Bonaparte

STILLNESS

WHAT THIS MEANS

Two modes are being separated, and the trouble comes from running them at once. Deliberation wants doubt, alternatives, and every objection heard. Execution wants commitment, because half-hearted action produces results so muddy that you cannot even tell whether the plan was sound. Continuing to weigh options while already moving gives you the costs of both and the benefits of neither.

Set an explicit line for your next decision: a date after which you are no longer considering, only doing. Write it down. When the day comes, act at full strength even if the doubt is still there, and save the review for afterwards.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

How do you know when your thinking time is over?

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