When faced with a difficult, well-researched decision where options seem equal, economist Steve Levitt advises choosing the path that represents the largest deviation from the status quo. His own research suggests that people who make bigger life changes in these situations report being happier later on.

Steve Levitt's randomized experiment found that people struggling with a major life decision who were prompted by a coin flip to make a change were happier months later. This suggests we systematically underestimate the benefits of change and should default to it when facing a difficult choice.

We delay tough choices under the false hope that "tomorrow will be different." This psychological bias creates procrastination. A powerful heuristic is to force the decision by asking: "If tomorrow is just like today and yesterday, what should I do?" This simple question cuts through decision clutter.

Being unable to choose between several viable ideas isn't a strategy problem; it's a psychological one. This indecisiveness is often a defense mechanism, allowing you to talk about potential without ever risking the public failure of execution. The solution is to force a decision—flip a coin, draw from a hat—and commit.

When facing a difficult choice that creates persistent unease or uncertainty, it's often a signal that the correct path is to decline or opt out. This heuristic, borrowed from investor Naval Ravikant, helps cut through complex analysis paralysis, especially in situations with ethical ambiguity.

A psychology experiment revealed that people forced to commit to a choice became happier with it over time because the brain rationalizes the decision, effectively manufacturing happiness. In contrast, keeping options open leads to second-guessing and dissatisfaction. Decisiveness is a key to happiness.

We often perceive standing still as a safe, neutral choice. In reality, inaction is an active decision that allows conditions to change and opportunities to close. This indecisiveness is often the costliest trade of all, as you sacrifice potential gains to avoid making a clear choice, ultimately getting nothing.

Human psychology makes us delay quitting until we have near certainty, by which point it's often too late. The optimal time to quit is probabilistic and will feel premature, requiring you to act against powerful instincts that demand you stick with something too long.

Designer Debbie Millman uses a powerful heuristic for big decisions. After vacillating for four months over a CEO job offer, her boss noted the long delay likely meant she didn't want it. This reframed her indecision not as fear, but as her intuition trying to surface the correct answer.