No easy answers

Living with no easy answers

Frank Partnoy’s book Wait explores the art of delay. One line summarises its spirit. There are no easy answers. Stay focused on the questions, not short-term distractions. In a culture that rewards instant reactions, Partnoy argues that well-timed patience often leads to better decisions.

Partnoy studied experts in sports, finance and medicine. He found that the best performers often wait until the last useful moment before acting. A tennis player who reads the serve a fraction longer returns it better. Similarly, investors who resist reacting to every headline usually do better over time.

Thinking well when there are no easy answers

Complex problems rarely have quick solutions. Climate, health, careers and relationships all involve trade-offs. Therefore, rushing to an answer can mean choosing a poor one. Staying with the question longer allows more information and better options to appear.

Practically, this means separating urgent from important. Distractions demand attention now, while important questions need time. For example, a leader facing a strategic decision might set aside a week for research instead of deciding in one meeting.

Of course, waiting forever is not the goal. Partnoy emphasises timing, not avoidance. Moreover, setting a deadline for a decision keeps patience productive rather than paralysing.

In the end, accepting that some questions are hard frees us from false certainty. We can approach them with curiosity, gather information and decide when the time is right.

In addition, notice how technology shapes your patience. Constant notifications train the brain to expect instant answers. Therefore, protecting time without interruptions helps you think more deeply about complex questions. As a result, decisions improve, and you feel less pressure to respond immediately to everything. Over time, that calm becomes a real competitive advantage in work and life.

Keep reading

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• Focus dividend
• Long and short