Macro Actions: The One Decision That Changes Everything

Most people are one macro-action away from changing their life.

A macro-action is one decision that makes SO MANY downstream decisions easier that it's essentially a no-brainer. The hard part isn't identifying it — it's having the courage to execute it.

My Macro Action

At the end of 2024, I was comfortable in Champaign, Illinois. Good friends, familiar routines, a clear path to graduation. I was the ceiling of my environment.

Then I moved to San Francisco to join Origami.

That single decision changed everything downstream:

• People: I went from being surrounded by college students to being surrounded by people building companies, raising rounds, and shipping product daily.
• Standards: What was "impressive" in Champaign was "baseline" in SF. The bar moved, and I had to move with it.
• Opportunities: The job at Origami, the connections, the events — none of that exists if I stay in Illinois.
• Identity: I went from "the ambitious college kid" to "one of many hungry people trying to make it." Humbling. Necessary.

How to Identify Your Macro Action

Ask yourself: What single change would make the most downstream decisions easier?

It's usually one of these:

1. A location change. New city = new people = new opportunities = new identity.
2. A commitment. Joining a team, enrolling in a program, signing a lease.
3. A removal. Quitting the thing that's eating your time but not feeding your growth.

The key characteristic: it's uncomfortable. If it feels safe, it's probably not a macro action. It's an incremental improvement wearing a macro-action costume.

The Inversion Test

I also like to invert: What would guarantee I fail?

For me, the answers were clear:

• Staying in an environment that no longer serves me
• Not putting myself out there (content, events, relationships)
• Overcommitting to things that don't compound

If you know what would guarantee failure, you know what to avoid. Everything else is execution.

Why Most People Don't Do It

The macro action is usually obvious. Everyone around you can see it. Your friends know. Your family knows. You know.

The gap isn't knowledge — it's action.

And the reason for that gap is usually fear of loss. You see the comfortable thing you're giving up more clearly than the uncertain thing you're gaining.

But here's what I've found: the comfortable thing you're afraid to lose? It'll still be there if you need to go back. The opportunity you're afraid to take? It might not.

Start Small, Then Go Big

If a full macro action feels too scary, run an experiment:

• Visit the city for a weekend before moving
• Do a work trial before accepting the job
• Take a gap semester before dropping out

My work trial at Origami was 2 weeks. It de-risked the entire decision. By the end, I knew this was where I needed to be.

The best decisions in your 20s will feel slightly irresponsible to everyone except the future version of yourself.