The BORED Test
Separate evidence-based pivots from boredom-driven resets
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 98%
The BORED Test is a five-part decision filter for distinguishing a justified pivot from an emotional desire for novelty. It examines whether better information has appeared, whether the underlying opportunity has changed, whether results have materially deteriorated, whether exhaustion is masquerading as strategy, and whether the proposed move advances the long-term destination. The mechanism protects compounding by forcing a person to produce evidence before resetting a business, career, investment approach, or other sustained commitment. If the answers reveal a structural change, a pivot may be rational. If they reveal only boredom or temporary fatigue, the framework recommends staying with the existing path and continuing to refine it.
Origin
Extracted from BigDeal, where Cody Sanchez presents the test as a question to use before quitting or pivoting a long-term pursuit.
Core principles
- 01Do not confuse novelty with progress.
- 02Protect the time already invested in compounding.
- 03Pivot when evidence changes, not merely when excitement fades.
- 04Treat exhaustion separately from strategic failure.
- 05Judge changes against the long-term destination.
How to run it
- 1
Check for Better Information
Identify what you know now that you did not know when you chose the current path. Require concrete evidence rather than a vague desire for change.
- 2
Reassess the Opportunity
Determine whether the market, customer need, competitive landscape, or underlying opportunity has genuinely changed.
- 3
Review the Results
Compare recent performance with relevant baselines and determine whether results have materially changed. Look for a sustained signal rather than one disappointing period.
- 4
Diagnose Exhaustion
Ask whether the urge to pivot comes from burnout, sleep deprivation, overload, or temporary frustration. Restore capacity before making a strategic decision when possible.
- 5
Test the Destination
Evaluate whether the proposed change moves you closer to the long-term outcome you actually want. Pivot only when the full set of answers supports a meaningful change.
In the wild
A founder with slow but improving customer retention becomes excited by a fashionable adjacent market. The BORED Test reveals no new negative information, no deterioration in the original opportunity, and improving results. The founder is mainly exhausted by repetitive sales work, so she takes a short break and continues refining the existing offer instead of rebuilding from zero.
→ The founder preserves accumulated customer knowledge and avoids an unsupported pivot.
A software team learns that a regulatory change will eliminate its customers' ability to use the current product. The opportunity and expected results have materially changed, while the proposed replacement serves the same long-term mission. The BORED Test therefore supports a pivot rather than continued persistence.
→ The team changes direction for evidence-based reasons without abandoning its destination.
Common mistakes
Treating Boredom as Market Evidence
Feeling disengaged does not prove that the opportunity has deteriorated. Diagnose the emotion separately from the external evidence.
Using One Bad Period as the Result
A short-term decline may be ordinary volatility rather than a durable change. Review results across an appropriate time horizon.
Ignoring Burnout
Exhaustion can make every alternative appear strategically superior. Recover enough capacity to assess the decision clearly.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for founders, investors, professionals, and creators considering a pivot during a plateau.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when immediate safety, legal, ethical, or solvency concerns already require decisive action.
From the transcript
“B, do I actually have better information or do I just want to change?”
“R, have the results changed?”
“D, does this move get me closer to my long term destination?”
From the episode
It’s Boring, But This One Habit Will Make You a Millionaire