In this episode, Simon explores our tendency to reduce complex situations into simple yes or no decisions. Binary choices can feel efficient, especially when time and resources are tight, but they often flatten nuance and distort reality.

Drawing on examples from decision making in organisations, everyday life, and even political identity, Simon unpacks the difference between discrete choices and continuous ones. From A, B or C, to infinite shades of possibility, the episode examines how oversimplification can create unnecessary conflict and cause us to miss opportunities for common ground.

The question for reflection is simple, but not easy. Where in your work or life are you treating people, problems, or decisions as binary when they are actually far more nuanced? And what might become possible if you allowed for more range, more texture, and more “shades of purple”?

As always, the episode closes with five minutes of silence. Time to sit with the question, notice what comes up, and gently move a little bit forward.

We’re back with the next episode of A Little Bit Forward, short, five-minute episodes designed to slow you down, interrupt autopilot thinking, and create space for better decisions.

In this episode, Simon Waller explores a familiar but often unspoken tension: structural problems being treated with ad hoc solutions.

From weekly stand-ups and quarterly reporting to burnout fixes and team-building exercises, Simon examines how organisations are structurally set up to think short term, even while making decisions with years or decades of impact. Drawing on examples from strategic thinking, safety systems, and even flood mitigation, this episode challenges the habit of applying quick fixes to deep, systemic issues.

Five minutes. One question.

We’re back with the next episode of A Little Bit Forward, short, five-minute episodes designed to slow you down, interrupt autopilot thinking, and create space for better decisions.

In this episode, Simon Waller introduces a deceptively simple question that sits beneath every decision we make at work. How far into the future should we actually be thinking?

Drawing on his experience in scenario planning and large-scale investment decisions, Simon explores the idea of the “half-life” of a decision. The point at which its value should begin to outweigh its cost. From billion-dollar infrastructure investments to everyday leadership choices like hiring, this episode reframes strategy as a matter of time horizons.

Not every decision needs a 20-year view. But many need more than the next quarter. When leaders mismatch the importance of a decision with the timeframe they’re considering, short-term thinking quietly shapes long-term outcomes.

This episode invites you to reflect on the decisions you’re making regularly, and the future they are really designed for. What period of time captures most of the impact you are responsible for, and are you giving it enough attention?

Five minutes. One question.A deliberate pause to recalibrate how you think about the future, and move a little bit forward.