The Last Word
By Benjamin Crump | Posted: Monday March 24, 2025
I often find myself struggling with the amount of time and energy it takes for me to make a decision.
I procrastinate so much that in the end, I never truly make one, remaining stuck on the fence until the very last moment.
We often fall into the trap of believing that difficult decisions are problems for our future selves rather than challenges we need to confront now. We sleep on decisions because we prioritise the comfort of today over long-term benefits. We tell ourselves that we’ll have more time or energy later, but if we were honest, our future selves would never be more ready or motivated to make the decision that we are now. Whether it’s preparing for an exam, choosing a career path, or starting a habit, we delay action because the consequences feel distant—until they suddenly aren’t.
The problem is that procrastinating tough decisions doesn’t make them disappear; it only makes them more urgent and stressful when the time comes around to act. Instead of pushing things off, we need to trick our brains into treating the future as something immediate.
Regret is a powerful motivator as it sticks with you far longer than fear or uncertainty. When faced with a decision, ask yourself, “If I don’t act now, how will I feel in a year?” Often, the pain of inaction outweighs making the wrong choice. You must remember that your future isn’t shaped by one massive, life-altering decision but by the small choices you make every day.
Almost no decision is ever 100% perfect because life is unpredictable. Circumstances change, new information will come to you, and what seems like the best choice today might look different in a year.
Instead of perfection, focus on progress. Most choices aren’t final; you can always adjust as you go. Growth comes from action, not endless thinking.
To overcome hesitation, start by breaking decisions into smaller steps, as the hardest part is often just getting started. I know a lot of you will be overwhelmed by career path decisions, but my advice would be to break it down into the small actions you can take right now. Do a bit of research every day and maybe reach out to someone in a field that interests you.
At the end of the day, decision-making isn’t about knowing exactly what to do—it’s about taking some form of action. Waiting for the perfect moment or for absolute certainty only keeps us stuck. No choice is ever made with complete confidence, only with the willingness to move forward despite uncertainty.
So instead of hesitating, start small. Make one call, send one email, and take one action. Each step you take makes the next one easier, and before you know it, you will have made progress. Again, your future isn’t shaped by a single massive decision—it’s built by the choices you make now.
Theodore Roosevelt once said, "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."
