Most bad choices in my life were made quickly and loudly. Most good ones were made after a walk and a glass of water. Noticing is cheaper than deciding and improves the decision.
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Notice */} Name */} Decide */} Observe
I learned this from cooks and cats. Cooks taste, then salt. Cats listen to the hallway before the leap. Austen’s heroines listen for the sentence behind the sentence. Obama pauses to let a crowd breathe. Orwell refuses euphemism. The common ethic is that we don’t owe speed to anyone but safety.
The practice is humble:
- Walk around the block
- Restate the question until it is plain
- Ask what the smallest test would reveal
- Decide
- Watch
- Write a receipt
The miracle is that this slows you down in the right places and speeds you up everywhere else.