The Late-Night Decision Rules

Protect yourself with rules that respect your nighttime vulnerability. The 24-hour rule for purchases: if you want to buy something after 8 PM, add it to a cart and revisit it tomorrow morning. Most "must-have" items feel unnecessary by daylight.

No major decisions after dinner is the broadest and simplest rule. Career changes, relationship confrontations, major purchases, and irreversible commitments should all wait for morning, when you are rested and your judgment tends to be at its sharpest.