
In "Wait," Frank Partnoy reveals why strategic procrastination trumps immediate action. Challenging productivity culture's rush mentality, this counterintuitive gem shows how delayed decisions often yield better results. "If you don't know how to manage time, time can rule you like a tyrant."
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In a world obsessed with speed, the most successful decision-makers know that faster isn't always better. From Wall Street traders to tennis champions, mastery often comes not from acting quickly but from knowing precisely when to act. Our nervous systems are literally designed for this strategic delay - the vagal nerve, connecting our brains to our hearts, contains two competing systems: an ancient reptilian strand that freezes us and a newer mammalian strand enabling flexible responses. People with greater heart rate variability - the ability to quickly accelerate and brake their reactions - navigate emotional situations more confidently, like drivers with responsive controls. This physiological flexibility translates directly into better decision-making, fewer behavioral problems, and greater emotional regulation. The science is clear: our ability to pause between stimulus and response - to wait for the optimal moment - is physically encoded in our nervous systems.