Stop Treating Reversible Decisions Like Permanent Ones

🚪 There Are Two Types of Decisions

Many people hesitate for years in front of important life decisions. I was the same way. When I quit my job, I convinced myself that no one would ever hire me in banking again. I thought I had committed career suicide because of my online profile.

But that was not true at all.

This concept I first heard in a conversation with Steven completely changed how I think about decisions. There are two types of decisions, and the approach should be completely different.

🔴 Type 1 Decisions: Irreversible Doors

Consequential and irreversible one-way door decisions.

Examples:

Having a baby
Buying a house
Major health decisions

These decisions need to be made carefully and slowly. If you walk through that door and do not like what you see on the other side, you cannot easily get back.

🟢 Type 2 Decisions: Reversible Doors

Changeable, reversible two-way door decisions.

Examples:

Trying a new hobby
Moving to a different city
Changing your routine
Even switching careers

If you make a suboptimal Type 2 decision, you do not have to live with the consequences for long. You can reopen the door and go back through.

😰 What is the Problem?

Most of us treat Type 2 decisions like they are Type 1.

We agonize over choices that we later realize are completely reversible.

"Should I start this project?"
"Should I take this trip?"
"Should I learn a new skill?"

These feel like huge life-altering decisions, but they are not.

💡 What I Learned

When I quit my job, I thought it was irreversible. But even today, I keep in touch with some of my ex-colleagues and that door is open.

"So many people spend one year, three years, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years of their life stood in front of a Type 1 decision, a door that they could walk back through if they were wrong. It is such a crazy shame not to make those decisions at speed if they are reversible."

95% of the time when I ask someone "Could you go back if you were wrong?" they respond "Yeah, I could go back to investment banking." I say, "Go do the violin thing then. Fail. It might work out, whatever, but come back here if you can."

⚡ Protect Your Energy

Most people think about managing their time and money, but they completely ignore managing their energy.

You can have all the time in the world, but if you are constantly drained and empty, none of it matters. Energy is finite, and unlike time, it is not equally distributed throughout your day.

What Drains Energy?

Complaining
Scrolling social media
Being around judgmental people

What Gives Energy?

Creating something new
Deep, vulnerable, meaningful conversations
Learning new skills

When you start protecting your energy, everything becomes so much smoother and easier.

⏰ How to Slow Down Time

Remember when summer holidays felt long and endless as a kid? A single day could feel like a week because everything was new. First experiences, learning, exploring, being surprised.

But as an adult, routine makes time fly by. Wake up, check your phone, commute the same route, do the same job, watch the same shows, go to bed.

Your brain measures time by recording new experiences. As a kid, you are constantly recording new things. But as an adult stuck in routine, new experiences stop, your brain stops recording, and autopilot makes time disappear.

The Solution: Introduce Novelty Into Daily Life

Learn something new (even for 10 minutes)
Have a different conversation with someone you would not normally talk to
Take a different route to work
Read about a topic you know nothing about

When you actively seek out new experiences, time starts to slow down again. Your brain has more unique memories to file away, which makes life feel fuller and longer.

📝 Key Takeaways

✅ Do not treat Type 2 decisions (reversible) like Type 1

✅ If you feel trapped, ask yourself if this is truly irreversible

✅ Manage your energy before your time

✅ Break routine with novelty to slow down time

If you are hesitating in front of some decision right now, ask yourself: Is this really a Type 1 decision, or am I treating a Type 2 like a Type 1?

You probably have more options than you think.