One of the hardest things in bear markets is not getting fooled into buying the highs of a relief rally.

If you're waiting for lower to deploy capital - your best bet is to wait for either those prices to come, or for the market to prove you wrong by clearly forming a higher low.
The good thing about the matured market we're now in - vertical gains are incredibly rare, and trends with higher highs and higher lows are the new norm.
That means that even if you miss the bottom - there will be great buying opportunities.
Patience is the name of the game - it served me well in the bull run, it serves me well in stocks, and I expect it to serve me well in the coming months as well.
No matter where price heads next.