The energy drain of unmade decisions

You're sitting on a decision.

Maybe it's about pricing. Maybe it's about adding a new product. Maybe it's about dropping a market or changing your CSA structure.

You know you need to decide. But you're not 100% sure yet. So you keep thinking about it. Researching. Weighing the options. Waiting for clarity.

And while you wait, you're paying a price you don't even realize.

Because sitting in indecision is the most draining energy you can be in.

The certainty trap

Here's what I see farmers and ranchers do: they wait for certainty before they make a decision.

They want to know for sure it will work. They want to eliminate all the risk. They want to have every piece of information before they commit.

But certainty doesn't exist in farming. It doesn't exist in business. It doesn't exist anywhere.

Weather changes. Markets shift. Customers behave unexpectedly. Life happens.

You're never going to be 100% sure. And if you're waiting for 100% certainty before you decide, you're going to wait forever.

Meanwhile, your business stays stuck. Your future self stays stuck. And you keep paying the mental tax of the undone decision.

The cost of indecision

Let me tell you what's actually happening while you sit in indecision.

You're exhausting yourself. Every day you don't decide is another day you're carrying the weight of that open loop. It's in your brain when you wake up. It's there all day. It's there when you go to bed. That's a lot of mental energy spent on something you're not moving forward on.

Your brain is making it bigger. The longer you sit in indecision, the more evidence your brain collects that the decision is "too big" or "too important" or "too risky." What started as a straightforward choice becomes this massive overwhelming thing. But the decision didn't get bigger. Your brain just made it scarier.

You're choosing by not choosing. Here's what people don't understand: not deciding IS a decision. It's choosing to stay where you are. It's choosing the status quo. And that's often the worst choice of all. You think you're being careful. But really, you're taking passive action. And passive action rarely serves you.

Your future self is stuck too. Your future self is counting on your current self to make this decision. Because future you doesn't magically become braver or more certain. Future you is just current you, repeated. So if current you doesn't decide, future you won't either. And you both stay stuck.

What 70% confidence actually means

So here's what I want you to do instead: make decisions at 70% confidence.

Not 100%. Not even 90%. Just 70%.

What does 70% feel like?

It feels like: I think this is the right choice, but I'm not completely sure.

It feels like: I can see reasons to do this and reasons not to, and the reasons to do it are slightly stronger.

It feels like: I'm a little nervous about this, but I'm willing to try it.

It feels like: I don't have all the information, but I have enough to make the best choice I can right now.

That's 70%. And that's enough.

Examples of 70% decisions in farming

Let me give you some concrete examples of decisions that require 70% confidence:

Planting dates. You're never 100% sure about the weather. You look at the forecast, you consider soil temperature, you remember what happened last year. You make your best guess. That's 70%. You plant. And you adjust if you need to next year.

Pricing. You're never 100% sure customers will pay it. You look at your costs, you consider the market, you think about your value. You set a price. That's 70%. You try it. And you adjust if you need to.

Trying a new product. You're never 100% sure it will sell. You have a hunch, you see a gap in your offerings, you think your customers might want it. You test it. That's 70%. You learn from the results.

Dropping a market. You're never 100% sure it's the right call. But you know it's not working for you right now. You look at the data, you consider your capacity, you make the call. That's 70%. And you honor that decision instead of second-guessing it all season.

These are all 70% decisions. And thriving farmers make them all the time. Not because they're reckless and not doing their due diligence. But because they understand that 70% is enough to move forward.

How to make the decision and close the door behind you

Okay, so you're at 70%. Now what?

Step 1: Make the decision. With the information you have right now, what's the best choice? Choose that. Say it out loud. Write it down. Commit to it.

Step 2: Close the door (or gate) behind you. This is the part most people skip. Once you've made the decision, you close the door. You don't leave it cracked open. You don't keep one foot in the other option "just in case." You commit fully to the choice you made.

Step 3: Honor your decision. You made the best decision you could with the thoughts and circumstances available to you at that moment. That's all anyone can do. Honor that. Respect that. Don't second-guess it.

Step 4: Move forward. Now that you've decided, there's a next step. Take it. Keep moving. Build momentum.

What to do when you want to redecide

Now I know you’re going to want to go back and redecide.

A week in, you're going to second-guess yourself. You're going to wonder if you made the right choice. You're going to want to reopen that door.

Don't.

Here's why: redeciding is more expensive than adjusting.

If you go back and redecide, you're starting over. You're back at square one. You're wasting all the energy and momentum you've already spent.

But if you adjust? You're pivoting from where you are. You're learning and adapting. You're building on what you've already done.

There's a huge difference.

Redeciding says: I shouldn't have chosen this. I need to start over.

Adjusting says: I chose this, and now I'm learning. Here's what I'll do differently.

See the difference? One keeps you stuck. One moves you forward.

So when you want to go back and redecide, ask yourself: do I actually need to start over? Or do I just need to adjust from here?

Most of the time, you just need to adjust. And adjusting doesn't require you to reopen the door. It just requires you to pivot from where you are.

Building tolerance for uncertainty

Here's the real skill to cultivate: tolerance for uncertainty.

The ability to make decisions without knowing exactly how they'll turn out. The ability to move forward when you're not 100% sure. The ability to be uncomfortable with not knowing.

That's what separates farmers who grow from farmers who stay stuck.

And it's a skill. Which means you can build it. You get better at it by practicing.

Every time you make a 70% decision, you're building the muscle. Every time you close the door and honor your choice, you're getting stronger. Every time you adjust instead of redeciding, you're proving to yourself that you can handle uncertainty.

And over time, it gets easier. Not because the decisions get easier. But because you get better at making them.

You start to trust yourself. You start to believe that you can handle whatever comes. You start to know that even if it doesn't go exactly as planned, you'll figure it out.

That's the tolerance for uncertainty. And it's one of the most valuable skills you can develop.

The relief of deciding

Right now, you're carrying the weight of indecision. It's exhausting. It's draining. It's keeping you stuck.

But when you finally decide, when you close the door, when you honor your choice and move forward - there's relief.

The mental clutter clears. The loop closes. The energy shifts.

You're not wondering anymore. You're not spinning anymore. You're not carrying it anymore.

You decided. And now you get to move forward.

That relief is available to you. Right now.

The practice

So here's what I want you to do this week:

Identify the decision you're sitting on. What are you waiting to be sure about?

Ask yourself: am I at 70%? With what I know right now, do I have enough information to make the best choice I can?

If yes, make the decision. Choose. Commit.

Close the door. Don't leave it open. Don't keep one foot in the other option. Fully commit to the choice you made.

Honor your decision. You made the best call you could with what you had. Respect that. Don't second-guess it.

Take the next step. Now that you've decided, what's the next action? Do that. Keep moving.

And when you want to go back and redecide (because you will), remind yourself: I don't need to start over. I just need to adjust from here.

That's the practice. Make the decision. Close the door. Move forward.

The person you're becoming

Here's what this work is really about: becoming someone who can make decisions without perfect information.

Becoming someone who can tolerate uncertainty. Becoming someone who trusts themselves to handle whatever comes.

That person doesn't wait for 100% certainty. They move at 70%. They make the best choice they can and then they make it work.

That person doesn't get stuck in indecision. They decide, they close the door, they move forward.

That person doesn't redecide every time things get uncomfortable. They adjust. They pivot. They learn.

That's who you're becoming. Every time you practice this, you're becoming more of that person.

And that person? That person can steward a thriving business. Because they're not paralyzed by needing to know exactly how it will turn out.

They just keep moving. At 70%. With the door closed behind them. Trusting themselves to figure out the rest.

That's the skill. That's the work. That's what changes everything.

The invitation

You have a decision you're sitting on right now. You know you do.

You're at 70%. Maybe you're even at 80%. But you're waiting for that last bit of certainty before you commit.

Stop waiting. Make the call. Close the door. Move forward.

Your future self is counting on you. Your business is counting on you. And the relief you're looking for is on the other side of the decision.

You don't need 100%. You just need to trust yourself at 70%.

And you can. I know you can. Because you've done hard things before. You've made decisions in uncertainty before. You've figured things out as you went.

You can do it again. Right now. With this decision.

That's how you build a business that grows. That's how you become someone who doesn't get stuck. That's how you create momentum instead of staying in the exhausting energy of indecision.

You're ready. Even if you don't feel 100% sure. You're ready.

You're doing a great job. Even when it doesn't feel certain.

If you need support making decisions and staying out of the indecision spin, I'm here. You can schedule a chat with me anytime at FarmCoachKatia.com/work-with-me.