Pre-define how long you'll persist with slow-feedback…

When This Fires

• When pursuing any strategy with feedback delay exceeding one month
• When tempted to abandon a long-term investment because "nothing is happening yet"
• When designing commitment structures for inherently delayed strategies (Design pre-commitments when calm to constrain behavior…)
• When someone on your team wants to pivot away from a slow strategy before the evaluation window

Common Failure Mode

Re-evaluating strategy commitment based on daily feelings: "It's been 3 months and I don't see results — should I pivot?" If the strategy's expected feedback delay is 6 months, evaluating at 3 months produces a predictably discouraging result — zero visible progress — that tells you nothing about whether the strategy will work. You're measuring the delay, not the strategy.

The Protocol

(1) Before launching any slow-feedback strategy, define the minimum persistence duration: how long will you execute before evaluating? Base this on the strategy's expected feedback delay, not on your comfort with uncertainty. (2) Define evaluation criteria in advance (After irreversible commitments, schedule external reviews…): what would success look like at the evaluation point? What leading indicators (Substitute a faster noisy signal for a slower precise one…) should you track during the delay? (3) Between launch and evaluation: execute. Do not re-litigate the strategy based on felt momentum. Trust the pre-commitment. (4) At the evaluation point: assess against pre-defined criteria and leading indicator trends. If on track → extend. If clearly off track → pivot with data, not with feelings. (5) Felt progress is not progress data. Separate them completely.