When is the Best Time to Act on Your Decision?

Timing is everything right? – But when is the right time?

Although we have little appreciation of it, too much time is like a bad curse. You see, when we have time, we begin to believe it’s a cure for the uncertainty that lingers around every decision.

No decision is ever risk-free.

The challenge of life is accepting uncertainty always accompanies the future. No one knows how or when serendipity will appear – let alone whether it will be good or bad. Then there is the randomness of external factors – of entropy. Like a magician pulling objects from his hat, we don’t know whether it will be a dove or a bouquet.

That is how random life is. Decisions come with uncertainty. Time doesn’t change uncertainty to certainty. If anything, time just brings more uncertainty – that’s the influence of entropy.

On the face of it, asking when the best time to act on your decision is a bad question. The answer, if you had any doubt is now - now is the time for you to act on your decision. When is the best time to act on your decision? Now.

It’s a false question - one you shouldn’t be asking.

When is the best time to act on your decision?

Of course, seeking the perfect conditions is one thing – waiting for them – that’s another.

Sailing is a sport that demands the right conditions – but they are a once in a lifetime event. It’s either too windy – or not windy enough. If the wind is exactly right, then the surf will be too much, making a smooth tack a challenge. Every gust is different, every wave falls differently – a sailor’s craft is an uncertain one at best.

Sailor’s sail with uncertainty. The randomness of nature challenges every sailor to stay alert – to be flexible – and to know they might have to adjust at a moment’s notice. A sailor must act – and react constantly as the conditions change. Exploiting a jibe at the right time to maximise the shifting winds – that’s the skill.

Acting on your decision should come with the same acceptance of uncertainty as sailing requires. We should act on decisions with intensity – but with humility to accept change as conditions evolve.

Sailing certainly teaches this, as failing to manage uncertain conditions can lead to danger. From men going overboard to capsizing – it can all happen if you’re not able to react to uncertainty.

Don’t delay – act now and start learning.

Sailing is an intensive activity – one which mirrors decision-making at a micro-level. Reacting to the changing conditions in sailing is like taking the process of decision-making and condensing it.

Without the intensity, we fool ourselves into missing the big opportunity.

Decision-making – combined with action – allows us to discover certainty. It turns uncertainty into certainty. Life is a feedback loop – it’s just that we are blind to it. We allow ourselves to believe decisions are binary decisions – where the decision is a simple yes or no. Underthinking – and overconfidence are indicators of us forgetting that life is a feedback loop.

Life doesn’t stand still – and neither should our decisions.

That’s the point of this article. It is a false question – a question to poke into action when you know the answer is now. Accepting uncertainty – accepting that now is the best time to act – opens the door to feedback. Progressively learning new information is a profound way to make better decisions.

When is the best time to act on your decision? Now.

Critical Thinking

This question is another critical thinking question. It is part of the guide to using critical thinking questions to improve your decisions.