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thinking-reversibility

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Before heavy deliberation, classify the decision as cheap or costly to undo; decide two-way doors fast and stage one-way doors to preserve options.

When to use

• Uncertain how much analysis a decision deserves (tech, process, product, org)
• Tempted to committee a low-blast-radius choice, or to rush a high-lock-in one
• Can redesign the move (pilot, flag, abstraction, time-box) to lower undo cost
• High-stakes choice where acting vs waiting have asymmetric recovery profiles

When not to use

• Already classified this session—decide at matched depth; do not re-label forever
• Trivial two-way calls (names, local refactors) where deciding is cheaper than classifying
• Externally forced move with no optionality (hard deadline, contract, regulation)
• Correctness gates (security, data integrity) that need the right answer, not speed theater

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