People Who Make Faster Decisions Live Longer (Here’s Why).
How procrastination is killing you and what you can do about it.
The Myth Of Choice.
I used to think that freedom was about having choices. My theory went that the more choices I was able to choose from, the more freedom I had. I was partially right, but my mistake was costing me years of my life. Instead, I believe that freedom is about having the ability to make choices, and to make them as quickly as possible.
Making choices rapidly is one of the most important habit you will ever learn in your life. And, as you’ll see later, it allows you to live longer. Something magical happens when we make decisions and sever ourself from all of the possibilities of life that aren’t unfolding; we give life the room it needs to actually unfold.
The etymology for decision is the latin decidere, to cut off from.
When we make a decision, we are removing it from our lives. The etymology for decision is the latin decidere, to cut off from. We are literally cutting ourselves off from every other potential outcome and moving forward with the one that makes the most sense. And in doing so, we free up our lives with more time.
The alternative is a state of non-being. You’re essentially in the lobby of a hotel standing in front of an elevator. You know there’s an awesome party on a certain floor, but there’s 100 floors in the hotel and you aren’t sure which one to pick. So you stand in the lobby while time, life, and other people rush by. Although at first it might feel like you’re making progress, one day you’ll open you eyes and 20+ years have passed and you’ll still be standing in that lobby.
The Safety Blanket Of Choice.
It’s comforting to think that more decisions to choose from = more power. This is true. In some cases. Namely: at some point you must be able to choose. If you can’t make a choice when presented with a choice, is it really a choice? Much earlier in our history, we used to remove or damage the pre-frontal cortex in order to deal with anxiety, panic, or depression. ( I was also shocked when I heard this.) People reported upticks in happiness, but the most common side-effect of this operation was that they could NOT make plans into the future. It’s as if their planning and deciding faculties were compromised.
Which implies that when we are confronted with choices and can’t make decisions, that we too might be compromised in some way–i.e. something about our cognition is not operating as intended.
…it’s not hard to imagine that the earliest humans would be confronted with far fewer choices than we are today
If we do a simple thought experiment, it’s not hard to imagine that the earliest humans would be confronted with far fewer choices than we are today. The pool of friends and relationships would be limited. The opportunities for information, and media consumption would be extremely limited. Think of all the books that are in a library. That’s before we even get to something like that internet.
It’s possible that our decision-making circuits are completely, totally, and hopelessly overridden with choice and that the reward centres of the brain have been hijacked by the illusion of progress.
Our Reward Circuits Are Agnostic.
Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and professor in the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University School of Medicine, has several videos online that walk you through how the human reward centres are wired. Without getting into the weeds of dopamine, noradrenaline, and acetylcholine, it’s easiest to think of our brain as a pattern recognizing and creating machine.
In other words: whatever we choose to participate in, we reinforce.
Using the top-down control volitional control circuits in the executive regions of our brain (e.g. the pre-frontal cortex) we’re able to “point” our attention at various tasks and routines which we then lock into and reinforce using a combination of hormones and neurotransmitters. In other words: whatever we choose to participate in, we reinforce. This means that not only are we always choosing, but that whatever we choose to do will become easier to choose to do, even if it’s terrible for us. It’s the scariest negative feedback loop that exists for a human being.
For many of us, we’ve trained our brains to see procrastination, the state of non-decision, to be a rewarding place to be. Just like an addict gets trapped in a “rewarding” cycle with a damaging substance, people who procrastinate actually have deep reward circuits associated with non-action. This is because our reward circuits are agnostic; they don’t mind whether you do something good or bad, they will merely reinforce whatever task leads to consistent reward. Since procrastinating is often accompanied by massive media consumption, is it any wonder that we end up in these cycles?
Procrastination Is The Opposite of Decision.
Most people think of doing tasks and performing as the opposite of procrastination, but before you can do the thing, first you must choose what thing you’re actually going to do. This is why Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, calls decision the opposite of procrastination. This is one of those truths that, like most great truths, sounds so obvious and uncomplicated, that it almost doesn’t register on the human screen of attention.
To that end, let’s linger on this point a little longer so it doesn’t pass you by.
Procrastination, according to Hill, isn’t just laziness, it’s a lack of firm and decisive decision making. Potentiated energy remains ineffectual and unused if it’s never actualized. It can feel like we have something when we hold on to this potential, but in many ways it’s a state of non-being.
It’s like we’re a shadow or a ghost in a world that’s constantly marching forward.
When we don’t decide, life will pass us by, while we sit there holding on to the potential of what could be. Instead of the tangible results of a decision made. It’s like we’re a shadow or a ghost in a world that’s constantly marching forward. Life ceaselessly moves forward and days, weeks, months, and years all blend together as they rush by and we remain trapped in a state of non-choosing.
Decisive People Are Superhuman.
So what can we do about? Fortunately for us, wealth and prosperity authors have been writing about this for decades, and they’re unanimous on what works: decisions. Napoleon Hill asks you to re-read the chapter on Decision in his book for 30 days. Maxwell Maltz, using the metaphor of a missile or a torpedo, says that you can’t course correct if you never get started. Grant Cardone talks non-stop about Commitment. Ed Mylett has a decision-making framework he uses with all of celebrity and entertainment coaching clients. Alex Hormozi considers it one of his superpowers and the biggest lever a human being can pull.
Your days become filled with unique and novel experiences and memories.
Whether you call it committing, choosing, or deciding… it’s one of the most important habits to form and it’s the best way to lengthen your life. This is because firm choices lead to firm experiences and memories. Rather than spending your days lost in a disassociated state of non-action, you’re making serious and meaningful progress towards goals and outcomes. Your days become filled with unique and novel experiences and memories. This variety of memories gives you more to think back on and as a consequence your life feels far, far longer.
Apply This Now To Start Living Longer.
Make firm, rapid decisions. Whenever you notice that you’re sitting on the fence instead of taking action: take action. Then, in the moment, to help you reinforce and reward this behaviour observe and notice that you’re on the right track. Your reward centre will then create a deepen these circuits so that rapid-decision making is seen as an essential action on par with drinking, eating, sleeping, and breathing.
Also it might be helpful, as a reframe, to think of your indecision as the most sub-optimal damaging choice you could make. When we take action, we’re cutting ourselves off from all of the alternatives, except one. However, when we don’t take action we’re cutting ourselves off from every possible alternative. We remain stuck in a state of non-choosing; which is really a state of non-living. Don’t let your life pass you by. Wake up, take action, and give yourself the gift of rapid decision making.
We remain stuck in a state of non-choosing; which is really a state of non-living.
Paradoxically, making decisions will give you the power to make decisions. You will never act until the moment you action. This is the great paradox of doing. When we do the thing, the thing gets done. The secret is to find the choice to do a reward in itself. That starts with paying attention. Meditation, often used as a tool to procrastinate and avoid choosing, can train the top-down regions of your brain to notice when you’re in a state of non-being, and to kick you into gear.
Just the fact you’ve read this essay means you’re much more likely to notice this when it happens. Which, in other words, means you’re more likely to live longer because your decisions will lead to an interesting and rich life that you can look back on and remember. For you, time won’t blend into a grey, indistinguishable blob.
So the next time you find yourself making a rapid decision remember to thank yourself, you’ve just made your life a little bit longer.
Would You Like To Learn More?
If you’re interested in working with us, we’d love to give you a taste of what’s possible. Even if you’ve got a coach on retainer, we’d be happy to offer you a complimentary session on the house. You can schedule using the button below or click here to learn more information.
MXW Group: Think Big. Move Fast. Stay Focused.
We are a premium coaching firm that provides luxury coaching experiences for ambitious professionals to help them Think Big, Move Fast, and Stay Focused. We offer two unique 1-on-1 coaching experiences: MXW Confidant, a remote-based coaching retainer, and MXW Oasis, a personalized retreat at a luxury hotel/resort of your choice.
MXW Elite is a 100% confidential, remote-based luxury coaching service.
MXW Oasis is a one-of-a-kind, personalized, 1-on-1 luxury coaching retreat at a location of your choice.
Confidentiality Notice: At MXW Group discretion is paramount. Names and events in these stories have been changed where necessary to protect the anonymity of our clients while preserving the spirit of their accomplishments.
