An exercise in stoic decision-making
Define your fears, not your goals.
A structured worksheet for the difficult decision you’re sitting with. Three pages, ten minutes, exportable to markdown.
“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” — Seneca
The decision before me
One specific action, one sentence. “Leave my role by April” beats “change my career.” If you can't fit it in a sentence, the decision isn't ready yet.
01
Define · Prevent · Repair
The worst that could plausibly happen — and what you'd do about it.
- List the worst-case scenarios for the action you're considering. Be plain and specific.
- For each, write what you could do to prevent it (or reduce its likelihood).
- Then write how you'd repair the damage if it happened anyway.
- Ferriss spends ~30 minutes per fear. Don't rush — the imagination resists this part, which is the point.
Fear 01
Define· what could go wrong?
The worst plausible outcome — not the catastrophic-impossible. Aim for the realistic bottom. Specific beats vague: 'I lose 6 months of income' beats 'I fail.'
Prevent· make it less likely
How would you reduce the likelihood? Stack small reductions — a 30% chance pulled to 10% changes how you act. The list often surprises you with how preventable it is.
Repair· recover if it happens
If it happened anyway, how would you recover? Who would you call, what would you do, how long would it take? Most fears are recoverable in weeks. Naming the path back is what dissolves them.
02
The Benefits
What an attempt — even a partial success — could give you.
- What might be the benefits of an attempt? Even a partial success.
- Cover both external (money, optionality, status) and internal (skill, character, identity).
- Score each 1–10 for permanence and impact. The compounding ones outweigh the rest.
Benefits of action
Both extrinsic (money, status, optionality) and intrinsic (skill, character, identity). Score each 1–10 for permanence × impact. The compounding ones matter most. Partial success counts.
03
The Cost of Inaction
Avoidance has a price too. It is just paid in instalments.
- If you don't act, what does your life look like in 6 months, 1 year, 3 years?
- Look across emotional, physical, financial, relational dimensions.
- This is where most people lie to themselves. The boring middle is rarely neutral — it has a real cost.
In 6 months
Where does avoidance start to leak first? Often it shows in mood, sleep, the small lie at dinner. The honest 6-month picture is rarely neutral.
In 1 year
What compounds emotionally, physically, financially? Resentment compounds. Skill atrophies. Optionality narrows. This is the honest middle.
In 3 years
Who will you have become if nothing changes? If your 6mo / 1yr / 3yr costs look similar, you're not extrapolating honestly. Inertia is rarely neutral.
Export
Markdown, ready for Obsidian. Includes YAML frontmatter and date stamp.
May 3, 2026
Fear-Setting — (undefined decision)
“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” — Seneca
I. Define · Prevent · Repair
- (undefined fear)
II. Benefits
—
III. Cost of Inaction
In 6 months: —
In 1 year: —
In 3 years: —