Can Procrastinating Lead to Better Decision Making?

“A new college campus was built, but one thing was still debated: where in the grass should we put the paved walkways? Some people thought the walkways should go around the grass, to leave it green. Some thought the walkways should cut across diagonally.

One professor had the winning idea: Don’t make any walkways this year. At the end of the year, look where the grass has worn away. That shows where the students are walking. Then just pave those paths.”

-Story from Derek Sivers book Hell Yeah or No.

Photo by Victoriano Izquierdo on Unsplash

The lesson that you should take away from the story?

If you have to make a decision, make the decision as late as possible.

When you make the decision as late as possible:

• You have more information than if you had rushed to a decision at the start
• You can see how things have changed, if at all, since you first knew about the decision
• Sometimes things change and you don’t need to make a decision, or a decision is made for you

How do you apply this to your life?

When you have a decision you need to make, wait. If you are being asked to make a decision, tell them the college campus story. And then wait.

Why make a decision early on when you have the least amount of information available to you?