💨 Kill decision debt in five days
Stop outsourcing hard choices to “Future You.” Make the call, write the memo, ship the first proof by Friday.
Last week we built the wind tunnel: a smaller arena, tighter tests, one proof by Friday.
Many of you ran it. Your messages had a theme: momentum returned, but a few heavy choices still sat on the desk. Pricing you’ve postponed. Scope you’ve avoided. A role you’ve kept vague.
That’s decision debt. It compounds as stress, stalled teams, and work that never becomes evidence.
Micro-scene
This week at my desk, I opened a blank page and typed one line:
The decision is whether to keep Strategic Co-Pilot as a monthly retainer or frame it as a week-to-week sprint partner.
Three options stared back. I felt the familiar pull to push it to “later.” I didn’t. I set a five-day clock.
Proof weeks exposed my stack of parked decisions. I didn’t need a bigger plan. I needed a short clock and a way to make the call that protected momentum.
Here’s the cadence I’m running now. It fits inside a week and ends with a public artifact you can point to.
The andon-cord habit (make the call while it’s small)
On Toyota’s line, any worker could pull a cord and stop production the moment a defect appeared. No hierarchy. No waiting.
The rule kept a tiny flaw from multiplying across hundreds of cars.
That maps cleanly to decision debt: surface the wobble fast, decide on a small move, and publish the first unit of proof before the week ends.
That’s the spirit of decision weeks. You take one deferred choice, give it five days, and turn it into an artifact the world can see.
The five-day decision rule
Day 1 — name the real choice.
Write one sentence: “The decision is whether to ______.”
Strip it to the essential fork. List three options max. If you can’t describe each in one line, the choice is still vague. Clarify until it’s simple.
Day 2 — write the decision memo (one page).
Five bullets are enough:
context (why this choice matters now)
options (A/B/C in one line each)
chosen path (bold it)
first proof (the smallest unit you will ship by Friday)
owner + date (who will hit publish and when)
Day 3 — run a sanity check.
Share the memo with one stakeholder or a customer. Ask two questions: “What’s missing?” and “What risk am I underestimating?” Capture answers in two lines. You’re gathering signal, not permission.
Day 4 — prep the proof.
Create the artifact that makes the decision real. A pricing page change. A one-page policy. A removal from the roadmap. A 90-second explainer to customers. Keep it simple. No slide decks unless the deck is the product.
Day 5 — decide in public and ship.
Publish the artifact. Then post your five-line scorecard:
energy returned: low/medium/high
market pull: mentions/asks/replies
learning: one sentence
next proof: one step for next Friday
note: what this decision closes
Do this for one decision each week. Let small clocks and visible proofs do their work.
Deep thinking for proactive leaders
Copy-ready decision memo (paste this)
Use this today. Replace the brackets and post it with your Friday proof.
Decision Memo — [Project/Area] — [Date]
Context: [Why this choice matters now in 2–3 lines.]
Options:
A: [One line description]
B: [One line description]
C: [One line description]
Chosen path: [A/B/C] — one line on why
First proof by Friday: [Smallest unit that makes the decision real; where it will be published]
Owner + date: [Name] will publish on [Day, time].
After shipping, add:
Energy returned: [low/medium/high]
Market pull: [mentions/asks/replies]
Learning: [one sentence]
Next proof (next Friday): [specific step]
Note (closed): [what this decision closes]
Solo and team versions that actually run
Solo: keep your morning 30 + evening 20 rhythm from proof weeks. Use the morning block to move the memo forward. Use the evening block to remove friction from the Friday proof (links, copy, posting steps).
Tell one person what you’ll ship. Accountability is the point.
Team: at Monday standup, each lane picks one decision with a clear Friday proof.
Product: “Drop feature X; publish deprecation notice.”
Sales: “Move to two-call cycle; post the new script.”
CS: “Kill one redundant touchpoint; publish the new handoff.”
Ops: “Adopt the one-page handoff; demo two examples.”
Ten-minute Friday demos. No status slides. Send a short digest so everyone sees the call and the proof.
What changes when you run decision weeks
Drag drops. The same choice no longer haunts five meetings.
Trust grows. Teammates see you make calls and back them with small proofs.
Energy returns. A clean decision reduces background noise and frees attention for the next proof.
Speed compounds. Each Friday artifact becomes the starting block for Monday.
If your week explodes, shrink the unit and keep the chain alive.
A public note that says, “We are retiring X on [date] and starting Y today” counts.
A one-page policy change counts.
A clear “no” counts.
The human side (why this calms your brain)
Deferral isn’t only an ops problem.
Parked decisions create open loops that burn attention. Small clocks calm the loop. A one-page memo gets the choice out of your head and onto paper. A five-line scorecard gives closure.
Clearer mornings are a byproduct of visible closure.
When I run decision weeks, I sleep better and write faster. That comes from fewer open tabs in my mind.
Run one this week
Pick one deferred choice tied to a carry dream.
Write the single-sentence decision. Draft the one-page memo. Sanity check with one person. Prep the artifact. Publish Friday. Post your scorecard. Done.
⚙️ From stuck to shipped
Turn stalled projects into weekly wins. In 30 days you’ll have fewer meetings, faster decisions, and something live every Friday. Momentum you can point to. (Limited to a maximum of 3 clients per quarter.)
Caption to pin on your wall:
What decision am I turning into a public proof by Friday?
Write the sentence. Block the time. Pull your andon cord when you feel the wobble. Then ship.
Decision by decision, week by week, your dream gets lighter and your team gets faster.
That’s a wrap
Momentum doesn’t come from bigger plans; it comes from evidence you can point to.
Build your wind tunnel, run one small test a day, and publish the artifact on Friday.
~Warren