The Software Developer's Career Handbook

Chapter 37. OK. So, You Can’t Decide

Even if you’ve checked your work, asked for all the help, and are moving gingerly, there will be decisions where you can’t decide. You’ve considered and reconsidered your pro/con lists, and you’ve had endless debates with informed humans, but you remain mentally paralyzed.

I have an observation regarding this paralysis, and then I’ll offer some advice.

First, the paralysis might mean you’re subconsciously aware you’ve missed an essential aspect of the decision, and your brain isn’t letting you decide until you mentally uncover this essential information.

In all your research, conversation, and deliberation, you’ve not found the obvious answer. Worse, you’ve discovered a whisper of a hint that there is something important yet to be discovered, and that discovery might push your decision one direction or the other.

This is a subtle slippery mindset. It’s a convenient excuse for the decision impaired. It allows us to stall even longer, but in my experience, the whisper of a hint is experiencing speaking…quietly.

In this situation, I need a very long bike ride. There is no additional conversation that needs to occur. A whiteboard is not going to help. I need to push the entire situation to the very back of my brain. I need to stick it back there where the wild things are because, in this situation, they know better than I.

Maybe you don’t bike. OK, what is your deep consideration activity? Where do you find random thoughts and inspiration outside ...