Workload & wellbeing
Set yourself a decide-by date
A micro exercise to stop researching and make the call, with enough information rather than all of it
When you start looking into a decision, write down the date you'll decide by and what enough information looks like, tell one person which way you're leaning, and decide on the date.
Why this can work
Research tends to feel productive long after it has stopped changing the answer. Each new source adds a little less and often opens another option to weigh, so the decision gets harder rather than easier. Naming a date and what enough looks like, at the start, gives the research an end.
How to stop researching and make the decision
You’ll come away with a decision made on the date you set, with the information you had.
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
- Name the decision in one line.
Which tool to buy, whether to take the project, which course to sign up for. One line keeps it from quietly growing into three decisions.
- Write down your decide-by date.
Soon enough to matter. For most everyday decisions, a few days to a week is plenty; for bigger ones, a few weeks.
- Write down what enough looks like.
Two or three specific things you need before you can decide well. For example: two quotes, one conversation with someone who's used it, and the price confirmed. Anything beyond that is optional.
- Tell one person which way you're leaning.
Saying it out loud tends to show you what you actually think, and someone else may spot the thing you've been circling.
You“I'm deciding this by Friday. Right now I'm leaning toward the second option. Does anything about that worry you?” - On the date, decide with what you have.
If something on your enough list is truly missing, set one new date. Otherwise, make the call and stop researching.
Tip: Write a line on why you chose what you did. It makes revisiting easier if you need to.
Good times to repeat it: when you notice yourself opening a third sourceat the start of any decision that's been sittingwhenever both options keep staying open
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
Keep going with Truest
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Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
Sometimes it's genuinely sharpening the choice. Sometimes it has quietly become a way to avoid choosing, and only you can tell which.
What might make this harder
Give it a longer date, not an open one. Spend the extra time on the one or two facts that would change the answer, not on more of everything.
Questions people ask
How do I stop overthinking decisions?
Set a decide-by date at the start, write down what enough information looks like, and decide on the date with what you have.
How do I know when I've done enough research?
Decide in advance. Name two or three things you need to know to choose well. Once you have them, more research is usually adding comfort, not clarity.
What if I make the wrong decision?
Most decisions can be adjusted once you see how they're going. Noting why you chose helps you learn from it, and waiting has costs of its own.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Researching a decision feels like progress, and for a while it is. Then, quietly, it stops helping and starts protecting you from having to choose. The tenth review tells you little the third didn't. Each new source often adds an option you hadn't considered, which makes the decision harder, and the open question keeps taking up a little space in your head every day.
Part of what makes this hard to notice is that it looks responsible. Nobody criticizes you for being thorough. That's why the useful move is to decide what enough looks like before you start, while you're still clear-headed about it. Naming the few facts you actually need turns the research from an open-ended search into a list you can finish.
Telling someone which way you're leaning does something research can't. It forces you to say what you think, and your own reaction to hearing it is often the clearest signal you'll get. Relief tends to mean you've found your answer; a sinking feeling tends to mean you haven't, and that's worth knowing before the date, not after.
Sometimes the research isn't really about the decision. If you already know what you'll choose and are dreading what comes after, such as telling someone, more information won't help; the next step is that conversation. And if the call isn't actually yours, a date of your own won't move it. Take what you've found to the person who decides, with your recommendation attached.
What to do next
Other simple things to consider
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated October 2, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.