The Decision Half-Life

Hello! 👋 

It’s Thursday, 25^th September 2025. Welcome back to Bold Efforts, where we untangle the forces reshaping how we work and live. Each week I share one big idea that challenges the way we think about the future. Today’s is about decisions. Not the headline-grabbing kind, but the small calls we make daily that quietly pile up until they shape everything.

Decisions don’t last forever. The choice that fit perfectly last year bends as the world shifts around it. A system that once solved a problem can quietly become the problem. Left untouched, every call we make begins to decay. That is the decision half-life.

And it doesn’t just happen with the big choices. It happens with the small ones too that you barely notice. The way you respond to an email, the meeting you choose to attend, the habit you keep repeating. Each of these creates a path that slowly sets your direction.

You make micro-decisions over time that consistently nudge you in that direction. They rarely feel dramatic in the moment, but together they form the currents that carry you forward. Ignore their half-life and you drift on autopilot. Acknowledge it, and you regain the power to steer.

Still, we act as if decisions are set in stone. Strategies harden into traditions. Policies become rituals. In time, no one even remembers why they exist. What lingers is the drag: workarounds, rework, and quiet blame. Organizations end up living by the ghosts of choices that no longer belong to the present.

The fix is simple but powerful. Give important decisions an expiry date. Write them down in plain words: what you chose, why you chose it, and when you’ll look again. When the review comes, the question isn’t who was right or wrong, but whether the choice still holds. Change stops being a confession of failure. It becomes the natural upkeep of progress. This is true for your code, your file management system, your career path, your personal choices, your investments, and even your life goals.

Think of the energy saved if we stopped maintaining ghosts. No more endless debates about outdated rules. No more patching over systems designed for a world that has moved on. In our personal lives, it means letting go of routines and roles that belong to past versions of ourselves. It means creating room for the present.

This mindset is less about control and more about freedom. Freedom to adjust without shame. Freedom to learn faster. Freedom to admit that every decision is a snapshot, not a scripture. The leaders and teams who thrive in the coming years will be the ones who treat decisions as living artifacts rather than untouchable monuments.

So here’s the nudge. With 100 days left in 2025, which choices in your work and life deserve a fresh look? What are you still carrying that has already expired?

Thank you for reading!

Best,
Kartik

Enjoyed reading this? Stay ahead with unique insights on the future of work and living. Subscribe to the Bold Efforts newsletter and receive fresh stories and ideas straight to your inbox every Thursday.

Who am I?
I’m Kartik, founder of Polynomial Studio, a holding company and product studio building AI-driven businesses for the future of work. The way we work and live is being rewritten. AI, remote work, and shifting economic forces are reshaping careers, businesses, and entire industries. The big question is where it’s all heading.

For the past eight years, I’ve been at the forefront of these shifts, working across real estate, technology, startups, and corporate strategy. I’ve helped businesses navigate change and stay ahead of what’s next, always focused on understanding the forces shaping our future and how we can use them to build something better. Click here to know more about me.

Why Bold Efforts?
I started Bold Efforts because I believe work should fit into life, not the other way around. Too many people are stuck in outdated systems that don’t serve them. This newsletter is about challenging the status quo and making the effort to design work around life. It brings together bold ideas and actionable insights to help you build a healthier, more balanced relationship with work, leading to greater purpose and fulfillment. If you’re looking for fresh perspectives on how to work and live better, you’re in the right place.

Was this email/link forwarded to you? Subscribe here