What does it mean that pre-commitment as a decision framework?

Deciding in advance what you will do in a specific situation removes in-the-moment temptation.

Example: You know you'll be tempted to check Slack during deep-work blocks. So on Sunday evening you write a rule: 'Between 9am and 11am on weekdays, Slack stays closed and my phone goes in the drawer.' Monday at 9:47, when the pull hits, the decision is already made. You don't resist temptation — you removed the branch point where temptation operates.

Try this: Identify one decision you repeatedly make poorly under pressure — snacking, doom-scrolling, saying yes to meetings that should be emails. Write a pre-commitment rule in if-then format: 'If [trigger], then [pre-decided action].' Make it concrete enough that you'll know whether you followed it. Put it where you'll see it before the trigger fires. Run it for five days and log compliance.