Tripwire
What signal would tell me to stop, and when will I check?
Write one specific condition that would force you to revisit this decision. Give it a deadline. Set a reminder. No negotiating with yourself when it fires.
You're committing to a path but worry about drifting too far before noticing it's not working.
The decision has a natural, built-in review point that already serves this purpose.
Why it works
Without a pre-set trigger, people sleepwalk past warning signs because re-evaluation feels like admitting failure.
Humans are remarkably bad at noticing gradual change. Each small decline from the original plan feels normal — a minor adjustment, a reasonable compromise. Over weeks or months, you drift far from where you intended without any single moment triggering alarm. A tripwire externalises your vigilance: a specific, pre-set condition that forces a decision point whether you feel ready for one or not. The specificity matters. ‘If things aren’t going well’ is useless. ‘If revenue drops below X by March’ is a tripwire you can’t argue with.