If you are out at sea and it cuts up rough, you make for a safe harbour. Any port in a storm. You don’t spend time procrastinating over whether the harbour has shower facilities or a branch of your favourite restaurant chain or cheaper moorings. No, you just get the hell out of the storm, while there’s still space in the harbour, and be grateful it provides the one thing you really need – safety.

Making money is a bit like that. Sometimes you just need to act. As long as you get some return on your action, it’s better than doing nothing. This isn’t complicated but you’d be amazed how many people overlook this and think ‘I’ll decide how to invest that little lump sum I’ve saved up later – I can’t decide whether to buy shares or put it in a savings account’. So they do nothing and the money sits in a current account earning no interest or, worse still, gets frittered away by default and inflation.

You don’t have to think too deeply about this stuff. You don’t have to think too hard. You don’t even have to really think at all.

The samurai lived by a simple creed – no hesitation, no doubt, no surprise, no fear. It is simply the most brilliant strategy for doing anything. It basically says that once you have decided on a course of action (or battle or combat) then be committed; know everything you need to know about it, don’t be afraid and get on with it as quickly as possible. If you’ve ever seen a samurai sword fight you’ll notice they circle each other and then there is a dramatic burst of activity, a flurry of intense violence and it’s all over. One or other or frequently both opponents are dead. The circling is not preparation – that was done over years and years of training. The circling is sussing out your opponent – taking their mind. When they go into attack it is a direct, swift, no hesitation attack. And your financial plans must have the same razor-sharp incisiveness about them.

Doing something is invariably better than doing nothing – even if it’s a firm decision to stay put. And sometimes acting fast can be a lot better than holding out on a possibility. Suppose you buy and sell antiques and collectables as a money-spinning hobby. If you buy a plate for £10 and think you can sell it for £30, but somebody offers you £20 within an hour, then you take the £20 and go and buy two more plates at £10 to sell on in the same way. I’m not saying you should act blindly – far from it. Like the samurai, we’re talking about stuff you already know. Now you have to act on it. Make your decision wise and sensible and considered and thoughtful. But make it now. Quickly weigh up the odds, consider the pros and cons and then get on with it.