The Hidden Cost of Prevarication

For some months now, I’ve been planning a trip to Canada to visit my brothers. It’s been a few years since I last saw them; we’re all getting older and my eldest brother is celebrating a significant birthday in June. All of which makes this visit even more precious.

And yet, I still haven’t booked the tickets.

I’m prevaricating. Considering options, modes of travel from one part of the country to another. And seemingly unable to decide how to plan the trip. What was initially just important has now become urgent. It’s only six weeks until we plan to leave, and my family in Canada is waiting for our itinerary!

This pattern of delaying important decisions is something I see consistently in my coaching practice with women leaders. They know what needs to be done – whether it’s having that difficult conversation with a team member, finalising that strategic plan, or making a career-changing decision – yet something holds them back from taking decisive action.

What exactly is happening here? Why do we put things off until the last minute?

When I look deeper at my own hesitation, I realise several factors are at play. There’s the fear of making the wrong choice. With far too many options, I don’t know which to choose. So I stall, trying to make the “best” decision, convinced that if I just wait a little longer, the perfect solution will emerge. And sometimes, if I’m being truly honest with myself, there’s a touch of perfectionism – wanting to create the ideal itinerary before sharing it with anyone.

This tendency to delay decisions doesn’t serve us. Each day of prevarication adds a layer of background stress. Putting off an important decision saps our energy; takes up precious mental energy we could be using elsewhere. And as the deadline approaches, the pressure intensifies, often resulting in hasty decisions made under duress rather than carefully considered choices.

I’ve noticed a fascinating pattern with the women leaders I work with. Those who struggle most with prevarication are often the same ones who feel overwhelmed by the demands on their time and energy. They’re caught in a paradoxical cycle of their own making: postponing decisions to create space for better thinking, yet creating more pressure that further compromises clear decision-making.

Breaking this cycle requires recognising that the perfect decision rarely exists. Instead, what matters is making a good enough decision now, which can be refined as you move forward. The relief that comes from taking action is immediate and palpable – I felt it myself when I finally sat down this morning and booked those flights to Canada.

For the leaders I work with, we approach this by setting decision deadlines, breaking complex choices into smaller steps, and strengthening the muscle of decisive action. We focus on clarifying what truly matters – in both life and leadership – so that decisions align with core values rather than getting lost in endless options.

Tonight, I’ll be sending my Canadian family our travel dates. The itinerary isn’t perfect, but it’s good enough – and the joy of anticipation has replaced the weight of indecision.

What decision have you been postponing? What might become possible if you took action today rather than waiting for the perfect moment or perfect choice? Believe me, the relief and clarity on the other side of that decision are waiting for you.