Chip Conley’s MEA institute shared a list of decision traps last week. Often, over 40, we want to make the right choice. We have such little time left at work or on this planet that every minute can feel like a big deal.

Have you ever get stuck making a decision, only to realize later you’ve been caught in a loop of the same thoughts? I’ve been there—and I see it all the time in Coaching sessions. Our minds are wired to take mental shortcuts, but some of those shortcuts lead us straight into traps.

One of the sneakiest? The Clarity Trap—the belief that you need to have everything perfectly clear before you take action. It feels safe to wait until all the pieces line up, but in truth, clarity often comes after you move, not before. When we stay in analysis mode, obsessing over finding the perfect answer, we’re really just stuck.

This isn’t the only trap, though. Here are a few others I see play out:

• The Anchoring Trap: Giving too much weight to the first bit of information you hear.

• The Status Quo Trap: Staying put because change feels risky, even when it’s time to move.

• The Sunk-Cost Trap: Continuing with something just because you’ve invested time or Money.

• The Confirming-Evidence Trap: Looking for proof that backs your current beliefs and ignoring what challenges them.

• 

All of these have one thing in common—they cloud our ability to act. They slow us down and pull us into spirals of indecision.

The way out? Micro-movements. Instead of waiting for the perfect moment or the clearest answer, take a step—any step. Action generates clarity. Each small move uncovers more of the path. Start where you are, with what you know, and let the next piece reveal itself.

Progress isn’t about perfection. It’s about choosing to move forward, even when the way isn’t fully clear.

The Clarity Map is your way to find the GPS out of stuck to clarity informed action.

Lynn Mull Holistic Career Coach & Author

Career Coach | Author | WellNess Advisor | Reiki Master
I offer Clarity through Reiki healing sessions, and Holistic Career Coaching and Facilitating Teams to professional wellness. I use various tools and methods to speak, write, and provide 1.1 counsel to move out of the stuck into the actions that help you or your teams reach their goals.I found my way because I had to create it.
As a working parent and a sandwich caregiver in my early 30s, I understand the pressures to keep going, provide for my family and prioritize everyone else’s wellbeing.

I looked in many corners and could not find one coach to break into my inner blockages and move my career until Reiki and a Career Coach got me there. We can be all the things to everyone, but first, we must get aligned and intuitively move forward for our own .