Most Decisions Are More Reversible Than You Think

Jeff Bezos talks about two types of decisions: one-way doors and two-way doors.

One-way doors are irreversible. Once you go through, you can't go back. These deserve careful deliberation.

Two-way doors are reversible. If you don't like what's on the other side, you can come back. These should be made quickly.

Most people treat too many decisions like one-way doors.

The Reversibility Test

Before deliberating endlessly, ask:

• Can I undo this if it doesn't work?
• Can I course-correct later?
• Is the cost of reversing lower than the cost of prolonged indecision?

If yes to any of these, you're looking at a two-way door. Move faster.

What's Actually Irreversible

True one-way doors are rarer than you think:

• Having a child
• Certain medical decisions
• Saying something that destroys trust
• Spending years on a path that closes other doors
• Legal commitments with no exit

Most other things can be undone, adjusted, or recovered from:

Jobs. You can quit. You can sometimes even go back. Your career is long; one job is rarely make-or-break.

Relationships. Breakups happen. Reconciliation happens. Nothing is set in stone.

Where you live. Leases end. Houses can be sold. Moving is annoying, not permanent.

Purchases. Most things can be returned, resold, or written off as lessons learned.

Public statements. Apologies exist. Reputations recover. People move on.

The Cost of Over-Deliberating

When you treat reversible decisions as permanent, you pay:

• Time. Hours or weeks spent analyzing what deserves minutes.
• Opportunity. While you deliberate, options disappear and life passes.
• Mental energy. Unresolved decisions drain cognitive resources.
• Stress. Carrying unmade decisions is exhausting.

For two-way doors, the cost of slow is often higher than the cost of wrong.

Speed as a Competitive Advantage

People who make decisions quickly—for things that deserve speed—have more attempts, more learning, and more results.

They try the new restaurant. They apply for the job. They reach out to the person. They start the project. If it doesn't work, they adjust and try something else.

People who deliberate endlessly on reversible decisions spend their lives preparing instead of doing.

When to Slow Down

This isn't about being reckless. For true one-way doors:

• Take the time you need.
• Gather real input from people who've been there.
• Sit with the decision before committing.
• Accept that even then, you won't have certainty.

The skill is correctly identifying which type of door you're facing—and matching your process to the stakes.

A Practical Filter

For any decision taking more than an hour:

1. Is this reversible? 2. If yes, what's the actual downside of trying and adjusting? 3. If the downside is manageable, decide now and learn from the outcome.

Most of what feels like "thinking it through" is actually "avoiding the discomfort of commitment."

Decide. Learn. Adjust. Repeat. That's how things actually get done.