Most people miss this step when making a decision

fruchtwein people miss this step when making a decisionMost people miss this step when making a decisionBack in 2010, I made a life-altering decision. At the time, I welches a practicing lawyer at a litigation firm in San Francisco. I loved living in the Bay Area and working with a great group of lawyers, but I had grown tired of thinking of my life in six-minute billable increments. I began thinking about leaving the practice of law entirely and entering academia.I spentmonthsagonizing over the decision, manufacturing every pro-and-con list imaginable, and consulting numerous people (who inevitably gave me conflicting advice).Enter analysis paralysis. It felt easier to do nothing- to maintain the status quo- than to take a leap of faith.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraI know Im not alone here. When were about to make an important decision, we demand perfect information and abso lute certainty. We dont start walking forward until we find an approach thats guaranteed to work (and preferably one that comes with job satisfaction and a six-figure salary).There are several causes of analysis paralysis, but Im going to focus on one here A false assumption that each decision we make is final and irreversible.If we take a leap into the unknown, we assume theres no turning back. If we take a new job, if we move to a new city, if we buy a new house- and things dont work out the way we hoped- we believe life as we know it will come to an end.But heres the thing Not all decisions are created equal. Theres a difference between what Jeff Bezoscallsirreversible one-way door decisions and reversible two-way door decisions.Contrary to our assumptions, most of our excursions into the unknown come with a two-way door. As Richard Branson writes, You can walk through, see how it feels, and walk back through to the other side if it isnt working. You just have to leave the door u nlocked.This was the epiphany that propelled me forward when I was struggling with whether to leave my job. I was assuming this was a one-way door decision, but the assumption was false. I hadnt burned any bridges. I had built solid connections and could always go back to practicing law, if not at the same law firm then somewhere else. In other words, I could walk through the door of academia, and if I didnt like what I saw, I could turn around and walk back out.This was the approach Richard Branson followed when he launched his new airline, Virgin Atlantic, back in 1984. Motivated to avoid joining numerous failed airlines littering aviation history, Branson struck a deal with Boeing that allowed him to return the first plane he bought if his airline didnt take off. Branson took what looked like a one-way door and turned it into a two-way door, allowing him to walk out if he didnt like what he saw.To be sure, some decisionsarethe irreversible, one-way kind. Theres no turning back fr om having children or betting your company on a major investment. For these decisions, careful and methodical deliberation is necessary before you take the plunge.But the vast majority of decisions we make fall into the two-way door category. When walking back out is possible, you dont need to put yourself through an agonizing decision-making process or get tied up in months of approval through the corporate hierarchy. Its easier to decide quickly, enter the room, and walk back out if you dont like what you see.The next time youre making a decision, ask yourself,Is this a one-way door or a two-way door?If its a two-way door, decide and move quickly.If it appears as a one-way door, ask yourself whether your interpretation is correct. Most decisions that initially appear to be irreversible are actually two-way doors masquerading as one-way doors.If you look carefully, you may find a doorknob hiding on the other side. And if you dont find a doorknob, you can always take a page from Bra nsons playbook and create one.Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned law professor and bestselling author.Click hereto download a free copy of his e-book, The Contrarian Handbook 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Along with your free e-book, youll get the Weekly Contrarian - a newsletter that challenges conventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only).This article originally appeared on Ozan Varol.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people