Member-only story

Don’t Make That Big Decision Just Yet

Bryan Collins
3 min readApr 26, 2019

--

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Architects must think creatively and mathematically if they want to design structurally sound, yet attractive, buildings.

That’s according to Sussex University Professor Brian Bates.

He studied the work practices of architects and found many of the best defer making decisions about their work for as long as possible.

British comedian John Cleese first publicised this study by saying:

The first thing [Bates] discovered is that the creative architects knew how to play. They could get immersed in a problem. It was almost childlike, like when a child gets utterly absorbed in a problem. The second thing was that they deferred making decisions as long as they could.

So what can busy entrepreneurs and executives learn from architects at the top of their game?

Big Decisions Are Supposed To Be Difficult

Making a crucial decision feels uncomfortable and for good reason. The verb “to decide” derives from the Latin word decidere, which literally means to cut off.

Saying yes to one job candidate means you’ll probably have to send another a rejection letter. Act on the first business idea, and you’ll have less time and resources for the second. Say yes to a glass façade, and you might…

--

--

Bryan Collins
Bryan Collins

Written by Bryan Collins

Content Strategist | Copywriter | USA Today Best-Selling Author. Read my daily newsletter @ bryancollins.com

Responses (1)