Step 1 · Free · Get Real

See where you are.

How likely are you to wait before you start or ask?

The Maker Starting Point. A MakerOS tool, by John C. H. Perry.

  • A score for each D: Defer, Diffuse and Delay
  • Your overall score, straight away
  • One next step, so you know where to go from here

Free, about 10 minutes, no sign-up

Why I made this

I’ve developed it by using it about 200 times with friends, creatives, and business owners.

There’s often something you want to ask for, or something you want to start.

You can probably see how it could work. You may even know who to ask.

And yet, it waits.

In my work, I see this behaviour again and again. It begins with seeking safety. Seeking safety leads to indecision.

Indecision can become a way of thinking that keeps you waiting.

Waiting tends to show up in three ways. I call them the three Ds: Defer, Diffuse, and Delay.

The way out of waiting doesn’t start with more thinking. It starts with making your first confident ask, and knowing enough to make the next move. You don’t need 100%.

None of these means something needs fixing. They simply show where your attention has shifted from what you want to what you believe must be resolved first.

This scorecard helps you identify which D is showing up, and how strongly, so you can turn greater awareness and clarity into action.

Allow about 10 minutes to complete The Maker Starting Point

  1. Bring one thing to mind: something you want to ask for, or to start, but haven’t yet.
  2. Read each of the 12 positions with that one thing in mind, and choose the answer that fits best.
  3. Score yourself accurately, not generously. Your individual answers are not saved. Only your calculated scores are kept, if you ask us to email your result.
  4. When you’ve answered all 12, you’ll see your result straight away: a score for each D, your overall score, and one next step.

The 12 positions

Choose one answer for each position.

0 of 12 positions answered

The 12 positions
PositionNot like meRarely like meSometimes like meOften like meVery like me

1. I'm trying to be right. I find myself forcefully defending an idea or position.

2. I want the approval of others before I go ahead.

3. I explain where I am by what's happened before, "it's because…", as if past results decide what happens next.

4. I rely heavily on others' opinions, or on the guidance of an authority figure, before I move.

5. I feel I need to heal my past, or fix my perceived faults, before I start or continue.

6. I hear myself telling stories, making complaints or excuses, or blaming others: "they should", "they should've".

7. I need more evidence and preparation before I begin.

8. I think about what events or people are stopping me: "if only things were different", "if only I had more money and time".

9. I doubt whether my plans and goals are valid.

10. I limit my plans to fit the facts, definitions or circumstances as I see them.

11. When I think about starting or asking, I worry about the consequences, and I judge myself for it.

12. I try to predict and control what will happen, to avoid unintended results.

Scoring key
Not like me1
Rarely like me2
Sometimes like me3
Often like me4
Very like me5