Treating Decisions as Assets, Not To-Do Items
By Steen Rasmussen: A talk with Slobodan Manic
In the race to become faster, more agile, and more effective, the way we think about decisions may be due for a rethink. Are decisions just boxes to tick off a to-do list or are they assets, investments in momentum and clarity?
In this eye-opening conversation, Steen Rasmussen, co-founder of IIH Nordic and a globally recognized voice in data and analytics, sits down with Slobodan Manic, host of the No Hacks podcast and a force in the world of product and user experience. Together, they challenge the way organizations (and individuals) treat decisions, procrastination, and perceived productivity.
Why this talk:
This interview is part of an ongoing series accompanying a 2-week Maven cohort hosted by Steen Rasmussen, rooted in the real-world transformation of IIH Nordic’s shift to a 4-day, 30-hour workweek.
What makes it work? A reprogramming of how urgency is understood and acted upon, treating decisions as leverage, not overhead.
If you're tired of indecision holding you back and endless lists without progress, this conversation offers a mindset shift and tools to act smarter, faster, and with intention.
Who is Slobodan Manic?
Slobodan Manic is the host of the No Hacks Podcast and a globally recognized UX and CRO consultant. With years of experience in product design, user research, and experimentation, Slobodan helps companies turn digital friction into high-converting, user-loved journeys. Known for his sharp takes and grounded advice, he brings a product-first lens to decision-making and momentum-building in organizations.
His mission? To help businesses stop overthinking and start optimizing, with empathy and velocity.
“We treat time like we have forever.”
Steen: So, Sonny, what stops people from getting shit done?
Slobodan: Honestly? It’s that we treat time like it’s infinite. Everyone walks around like they’ve got a limitless runway. “I’ll write that book one day,” “I’ll launch that product eventually.” But we forget, time is the most non-renewable asset we’ve got.
Steen: That hits. I was just in Madrid last week and had this whole ‘mañana’ moment. Everything’s always “tomorrow.”
Slobodan: Exactly. But tomorrow gets pushed years out, sometimes decades. And here’s the kicker: ten years from now isn’t guaranteed. Not for you, not for the company, not even for the market.
Steen: We wait for permission or perfect conditions.
Slobodan: Right, and those don’t exist. The time to act is always now, even if the action is small. Movement is more valuable than polish.
Procrastination isn’t the issue, it’s decision disconnection
Steen: I’ve noticed that people don’t actually struggle with doing things. They struggle with deciding to do things.
Slobodan: Exactly. Execution isn’t always the problem, it’s that the decision was never properly made. People “kinda” commit. “Let’s look into it” isn’t a decision. It’s stalling wrapped in politeness.
Steen: We’ve framed decisions as cost centers, not assets. But a good decision, even if it leads to iteration, creates clarity, direction, and relief.
Slobodan: Yes, and just like a good asset, it appreciates with use. The more decisions you make, the better your decision-making muscle becomes. But if all you do is delay or loop decisions, it creates debt.
Decision loops are the new bottleneck
Steen: I’ve seen it again and again, companies getting stuck in what I call “decision loops.” No one says no, no one says yes. So nothing happens.
Slobodan: That’s the biggest killer of momentum. Endless Slack threads, six-page memos, async hell. The longer a decision lingers, the more political and fragile it becomes. Fast decisions are clean. Slow ones corrode.
Steen: So how do you break the loop?
Slobodan: Frame decisions clearly. Spell out what saying yes means. What saying no means. What we’ll miss. Then force a call. Even a “no” is a forward move, it lets you reallocate energy.
Good decision hygiene: clear, time-bound, reversible
Steen: Have you adopted any practices to improve your team’s decision velocity?
Slobodan: Definitely. One thing we do is label decisions as reversible or irreversible. If it’s reversible, make it fast. Don’t overthink. For the big ones, we build 80% confidence, not 100%. Then commit. Also, we use deadlines, not to rush, but to force focus.
Steen: That’s close to what we do with urgency mapping, use internal calendars (not external crises) to create traction.
Slobodan: Exactly. Urgency doesn’t mean panic. It means direction, with a clock.
From pseudo productivity to real progress
Steen: It’s wild how much we confuse productivity with progress. Fancy dashboards. Automations. Hacks.
Slobodan: Productivity porn is a real thing. People feel like they’re moving because there’s a lot of noise. But they’re not deciding. They’re optimizing delay.
Steen: That’s gold: “optimizing delay.” We’re building better to-do lists instead of shortening them.
Slobodan: Make fewer decisions, but make them better, and own them. That creates the kind of alignment no tool ever will.
