Hesitation

Overview

Hesitation is a state of mind in which there are several options and you can't decide which one to choose. When the pros and cons of each option are evenly balanced, the decision tends to get put off.

Hesitation isn't necessarily a bad thing. Deciding on the spot isn't always right, and hesitating lets you think your options through. But when hesitation drags on, you stop moving. When running a question box, you look for the line between "healthy hesitation" and "too much hesitation."

Hesitation in a question box

People who answer questions in a question box face hesitation every day. Should I answer this question? If I do, how far should I go? Should I write what I really think, or keep it to a polite front? Should I reply with humor or answer seriously? A single question comes with countless forks in the road.

Hesitation runs deepest with questions where answering could hurt someone. With a question like "What do you think of X?", an honest answer hurts a third party, and a lie damages your own sincerity. Whichever you choose, you lose something. This kind of hesitation is a dilemma that people who answer questions in a question box face.

Living with hesitation

It's impossible to get rid of hesitation completely, and there's no need to. What matters is not letting it swallow you.

One practical approach is the "five-minute rule." If you think for five minutes and still have no answer, put that question on hold and move on. When you reread it the next day, the hesitation has often cleared.

Another approach is to "make the worst case concrete." In many cases, what's really behind hesitation is vague anxiety. Put into words exactly "what's the worst that could happen if I post this answer," and check how serious it really is.