Two-way door decisions with sub-week reversal costs get 24…

For two-way door decisions where reversal costs under one week of effort, set a decision deadline of 24 hours or less regardless of how the decision feels emotionally.

When This Fires

For any two-way door decision where reversal costs less than one week of effort
When you notice yourself spending multiple days on a decision that's objectively reversible
When decision paralysis is consuming time and energy disproportionate to the decision's actual stakes
As a complement to Classify every decision as one-way or two-way door before… (classification) — this provides the specific time budget for the lightest category

Common Failure Mode

Letting emotional weight override the time budget: "I know it's reversible, but I want to be really sure." The desire for certainty on a reversible decision is a cognitive trap — certainty isn't necessary when reversal is cheap. Accept that you might be wrong, decide within 24 hours, and use the reversal option if needed. The cost of being "really sure" (days of deliberation) exceeds the cost of being wrong and reversing.

The Protocol

(1) When a decision is classified as a two-way door (Classify every decision as one-way or two-way door before…), estimate the reversal cost in time. (2) If reversal costs <1 week → set a 24-hour decision deadline. Start the clock now. (3) Within 24 hours: gather the most accessible information (don't research exhaustively), identify the top 2-3 options, and choose. (4) If you can't decide within 24 hours → flip a coin. Seriously. For decisions with <1 week reversal cost, a coin flip plus rapid learning from experience (For reversible decisions, act at 50-60% information…) outperforms extended deliberation. (5) After deciding, move forward without second-guessing for at least one week. Revisit only if new information appears or if the outcome is clearly worse than expected.