Bias toward action before perfect strategy derails you

You’ve sat at your desk for hours, torn between launching that new marketing campaign or waiting for one more spreadsheet. Your confidence score feels around 55%. Your gut is screaming to go, but your brain keeps saying you need more data. You’ve read half a dozen reports, but the endorphin hit from another slide deck is wearing off. Sound familiar?

Imagine waking up tomorrow and deciding in under ten minutes. You spend two minutes listing your three biggest calls—campaign launch, vendor pick, team hire. You quickly mark your certainty—55%, 30%, 80%. You remember Colin Powell’s 40/70 rule: under 40, get minimal more data; over 70, just go for it; between, do it anyway. That campaign at 55%? You green-light it.

The relief is immediate. The spreadsheet still sits there, unfinished, but your world hasn’t collapsed. Two weeks later, you review and learn: your data-driven tweak gave the campaign a 15% lift. You calibrate your gut and your metrics. Best of all, your team sees you act decisively and follow through.

Psychologists say decision-fatigue kills focus and morale. The 40/70 rule liberates you from waiting for certainties that never come and reinforces a culture of learning by doing.

You start by listing your top three decisions for the week, then honestly score your certainty for each. You apply the 40/70 guideline: move forward on any decision over 70%, gather minimal new data if under 40%, and crucially, act anyway when you’re in the middle. You then lock in a quick, two-week follow-up to see what you learned, refine your judgement and build confidence. This simple habit stops paralysis, boosts momentum and shows your team you’re serious about getting stuff done. Give it a try tomorrow morning.