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REWORK · August 26 · 18 min

One-way Doors

Not every decision deserves a long deliberation. In this episode, co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson look back on 25 years of running 37signals, the handful of decisions that were truly irreversible, and why keeping a loose grip on most business calls has served them better than any spreadsheet ever could. Key Takeaways 00:11 – The single one-way door decision at 37signals 05:49 – Why most decisions barely take five minutes to make 08:05 – How the sum of right choices matters more than any single one 13:51 – Recognizing when the business stops moving forward 16:41 – Letting go of decisions that didn't pan out Links and Resources Jeff Bezos explains one-way door decisions and two-way door decisions Record a video question for the podcast Watch The REWORK podcast on YouTube Basecamp is the no-nonsense project management system. Sign up for free at Basecamp.com HEY is a fresh take on email. Sign up for a 30-day free trial at HEY.com Fizzy is a modern spin on kanban. Sign up for free at fizzy.do Books by 37signals Jason Fried on X David Heinemeier Hansson on X

0:00 · Introduction-18:35
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Not every decision deserves a long deliberation. In this episode, co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson look back on 25 years of running 37signals, the handful of decisions that were truly irreversible, and why keeping a loose grip on most business calls has served them better than any spreadsheet ever could.

Key Takeaways

  • 00:11 – The single one-way door decision at 37signals
  • 05:49 – Why most decisions barely take five minutes to make
  • 08:05 – How the sum of right choices matters more than any single one
  • 13:51 – Recognizing when the business stops moving forward
  • 16:41 – Letting go of decisions that didn't pan out

Links and Resources

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