Disagree and commit
State your objection once, then back the decision fully instead of relitigating it
Three words that end an argument without either side pretending to be convinced. One person says plainly that they think the plan is wrong, then commits to making it work anyway, with no quiet sabotage and no revisiting the question a week later. It is meant to run in both directions, so a boss can disagree and commit to a team's idea as readily as the team can commit to the boss's. The saving is time and goodwill; the alternative is usually a long war of attrition that exhausts everyone and settles nothing.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Jeff BezosDoes it
Amazon and Blue Origin founder · Six-page memos and eight hours of sleep
Writes that he disagrees and commits all the time, and gives the example of greenlighting an Amazon Studios show he had doubts about. Told Lex Fridman that he would often tell a direct report he thought they were wrong but would gamble with them anyway.
Source: Amazon 2016 Letter to Shareholders
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under productivity or stress.
- ProtocolFREE, no cost
Workday shutdown ritual
A fixed end-of-day routine that closes open loops so work stops
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 has discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Shipping creative work
Publishing on a schedule rather than waiting for the work to feel ready
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Vision setting
Write down a specific picture of who you are becoming, then filter decisions through it
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
5 Second Rule countdown
Count 5-4-3-2-1 out loud and move before hesitation talks you out of it
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Automatic rules
Decide the behavior once, as a rule, so it is not decided in the moment
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Budget and deadline discipline
Treating the number and the date as hard limits that end the project
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it
Protocol entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.