Treating Decisions as Assets, Not To-Do Items
By Steen Rasmussen: A talk with Slobodan Manić.
In the race to become faster, more agile, and more effective, maybe the issue isn’t our productivity systems. Maybe it’s the way we think about decisions. Are they simply tasks to tick off? Or can they be seen as investments, moments that create momentum, clarity, and leverage?
In this fourth session of the Urgency Series, I sat down with Slobodan “Sani” Manić, host of the No Hacks Podcast, to explore how organizations and individuals can shift their approach to decision-making. Drawing from his expertise in product strategy and UX design, Sani offered a fresh lens on how decision-making can be faster, cleaner, and more empowering if we’re willing to reframe it.
Why This Talk?
This conversation is part of an ongoing series that complements my Maven cohort focused on urgency and action. The insights stem from IIH Nordic’s transformation to a 4-day, 30-hour workweek. It was not just a schedule change, but a cultural reset in how we define urgency, productivity, and meaningful progress.
What we found wasn’t just about working fewer hours. It was about working with greater intention. And that required rethinking how we made decisions, treating them not as overhead, but as a form of capital.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in limbo, overwhelmed by choices, or paralyzed by indecision, this conversation is for you.
Who Is Slobodan “Sani” Manić?
Sani Manić is a globally recognized UX and CRO consultant, best known as the host of the No Hacks Podcast. With a career steeped in product design, user research, and experimentation, he helps companies remove friction from their digital experiences, enabling users to navigate clearer and faster journeys.
But what sets Sani apart isn’t just his UX credentials. It’s his belief in momentum. He approaches decisions like a product manager approaches features: they’re testable, trackable, and most importantly, actionable. And in our talk, that mindset came through.
The Conversation
Time Is Finite. Act Accordingly.
We opened with a simple question: What stops people from getting things done?
Sani didn’t hesitate.
“Everyone thinks their time on Earth is unlimited. And I think that’s the root of all the problems.”
It was a jarring but accurate take. He pointed out how we often delay goals, writing a book, starting a business, committing to a lifestyle change, not because we lack capability, but because we act like we have forever. We assume there will always be time. Until there isn’t.
I joked about having a classic "mañana" moment during a recent trip to Madrid, where everything felt like it could wait until tomorrow. Sani responded with a truth that lands harder the more you think about it:
“Ten years from now isn’t guaranteed. Not for you, not for your company, not even for the market.”
In other words, urgency isn’t about stress. It’s about respecting the clock.
Procrastination Isn’t the Problem. Unclear Decisions Are.
As we dug deeper, it became clear that procrastination isn’t always laziness. It’s often the byproduct of indecision, or worse, pseudo-decisions dressed up in corporate language.
Sani explained:
“People don’t commit. ‘Let’s look into it’ isn’t a decision. It’s stalling, wrapped in politeness.”
This resonated with what I’ve seen in organizations everywhere. People don’t struggle with doing the work. They struggle with deciding to do it. A vague agreement to "circle back" creates a backlog of unresolved questions. No one says yes, no one says no, and so nothing moves forward.
We agreed: a real decision, even a small one, releases energy. It turns ambiguity into action. And that clarity is often more valuable than the decision itself.
Decision Loops: Where Progress Goes to Die
One of the most dangerous patterns we unpacked was the endless “decision loop.” These are drawn-out Slack threads, repeated meetings, and six-page memos that circle a choice but never land on one.
“The longer a decision lingers, the more political and fragile it becomes,” Sani said. “Fast decisions are clean. Slow ones corrode.”
That corrosion shows up everywhere. In team morale, in innovation velocity, and in customer experience. The longer you wait, the harder it gets to make the call. We get caught in thinking traps, assuming decisions are more permanent than they are.
Sani’s suggestion was simple and actionable: define what a “yes” means, define what a “no” means, and then force a call. Even a no is a forward movement. It lets you reallocate time and energy to something better.
Reversible vs. Irreversible: Most Things Can Be Undone
I brought up Jeff Bezos’ idea of one-way vs. two-way doors in decision-making. The distinction is clear. Some choices are irreversible and deserve caution. But most aren’t. Most decisions can be tested, reversed, and iterated on.
Sani took it even further.
“Count the number of decisions in your life that were truly irreversible. For most people, it’s zero. Maybe one. Everything else is flexible.”
And yet, we treat nearly all decisions like they're permanent. We hesitate. We overanalyze. We try to perfect things before we even try them. But perfection isn't the goal. Learning is.
He added:
“If it takes you two hours to decide something that’s only going to save 30 minutes, you’ve already made a bad call.”
The message is simple: stop inflating the stakes. Make the call. Learn. Adjust. Move on.
Why the Corporate World Fears Experimentation
We shifted into a discussion on experimentation, something both of us have championed in our work. But in many organizations, experimentation is still viewed as risky rather than smart.
Sani offered a sharp insight:
“Before we had data and testing, people rose through the ranks by making good guesses. They trusted their gut. That culture’s still there, especially with leadership.”
When those leaders say “let’s test it,” it often means “prove me right.” And when the data says otherwise, the response isn’t always “thanks for the insight.” Sometimes it’s “your test must be flawed.”
Still, the healthiest companies build space for testing. They give teams freedom to fail in small ways. As Sani put it, every company should have a budget to test around and find out. The payoff is not just better decisions, but stronger muscles for deciding at all.
Try More. Judge Less.
One of the most energizing parts of the conversation was about trying new things simply because they’re new.
“Statistically, your favorite food probably hasn’t been discovered yet,” Sani said.
It sounds like a joke, but it holds real weight. Whether it's food, countries, ideas, business models, or our best experiences, might still be ahead of us. But only if we permit ourselves to experiment without overthinking.
I even confessed to ordering a pistachio milkshake with bacon, just to honor my commitment to trying. Surprisingly, it worked. Salted pistachios might just be the future.
Don’t Build Bruce in Your Head
Toward the end, I told Sani the story of Jaws. Spielberg’s mechanical shark, Bruce, broke down. So he filmed the movie from the shark’s perspective instead. The lack of visibility made the movie more suspenseful, more iconic.
“The fear was bigger than the actual shark.”
Sani loved the metaphor. Too often, we build our own “Bruce.” A mental monster that keeps us from making a move. The reality? The action is rarely as scary as the anticipation.
And once we act, even imperfectly, we regain momentum.
Final Thoughts
Sani closed with one of the most freeing insights of the session:
“You don’t matter as much as you think. That’s a good thing. Most people don’t care what you do, so try what feels right.”
It’s not nihilism. It’s liberation. It’s a reminder that action doesn’t require permission. Most people are too busy worrying about themselves to judge your choices.
So act. Decide. Adjust. Repeat.
Because decisions aren’t distractions from the work. They are the work.
Mentality, tools & Processes: Lessons from a 4-day work week.
This urgency mindset isn’t theory, it’s practice. Tested, refined, and proven over the years inside one of Europe’s most progressive data companies.
If you’re ready to shift from analysis to action, from hesitation to leadership, sign up for Steen Rasmussen's upcoming Cohort, where he dives deep into how IIH Nordic became one of the most efficient organizations in all of Europe while working less.
