Family Sort

Before comparing options, cluster them by their underlying mechanism or form so you compare families, not duplicates.

Your knee surgeon says the operation is elective: you could do it now, or see whether physical therapy gets you there. "Wait and see" sounds sensible, so that is what you choose. Eight months later you are still waiting, still seeing, with no idea what would ever end the waiting.

Wait for a Signal converts vague delay into a legitimate option by requiring three named parts: the specific signal you are waiting for, a deadline, and the action the signal triggers. The cue that you need it is catching yourself choosing "wait" without being able to say what you are waiting for. Run it by writing one sentence with all three parts: "If after 12 more weeks of twice-a-week PT I still cannot descend stairs without pain, I book the surgery for the spring slot." Post it where you will see it, and put the deadline on the calendar. What visibly changes is that waiting becomes falsifiable: on the deadline date, the signal either fired or it did not, and the pre-chosen action executes instead of another season of drift. Do not use this to dress up avoidance in procedure, and skip it entirely when delay itself carries the cost, as when a condition worsens while you politely wait for certainty.