Reversible vs. irreversible decisions
Where to spend your scarce attention in a crunch — the calls you can change cheaply later, versus the ones you're stuck with for years.
Reversible vs. irreversible decisions
In a compressed opening you can’t give every decision the same care — so don’t. Sort by one question: how hard is this to undo?
- Reversible — cheap and quick to change later: wall art, plants, where the lounge chairs go, the snack brand, most signage. Decide fast, move on, fix it later if it’s wrong.
- Irreversible (or expensive to undo) — power and data in the walls, the floor layout, big long-lead furniture orders, meeting-room audio/visual (AV), plumbing, the kitchen’s location. A wrong call here you live with for years.
Why you care
This is how you aim to open great without burning out: spend your scarce attention on the handful of irreversible calls, and let yourself be fast and imperfect on everything reversible. Most things are reversible. The few that aren’t are where greatness is won or lost.
The move
When a decision lands on your desk, ask: “If we get this wrong, how hard is it to change after we open?”
- Hard → slow down, get it right, and decide before the deadline passes by default.
- Easy → make a good-enough call now and keep moving.
The irreversible bucket overlaps almost exactly with great-by-design: the things hardest to add later are usually the things that make an office great.