Glossary

Reversible and irreversible decision

Αναστρέψιμη και μη αναστρέψιμη απόφαση

A reversible decision is one you could undo within about a month at a cost you can name. An irreversible one cannot be undone at any price you would pay. The two deserve different amounts of your time, and they arrive sounding exactly the same.

Also known astwo way door and one way door
Belongs to the skillDecision Making
Level4

How to spot it

Ask what it would cost to change your mind in thirty days. If you can put a number on it, you are at a door that opens both ways, and you are allowed to be quick.

The research behind the term

The term is not our invention. It comes from published research, and what follows is what that research found — our own synthesis of the published abstract, not a translation of the original.

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slowπηγή

Daniel Kahneman presents the two-system model of thinking. System 1 operates quickly, automatically and intuitively, while System 2 is slower, analytical and logical. The work explains how cognitive biases affect decisions and has had a major influence on psychology, economics and decision-making.

Practised in

The term does not stay a definition. It appears inside missions where the pattern happens in real time and you have to recognise it as it happens to you.

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Sources

Every claim on this page maps to published research. The citations link to the original source.

  1. Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow — Source on us.macmillan.com