I’m the kind of person that likes to think everything through before doing anything. I prefer to be methodical, to understand something from every angle before moving forward with it.
Often, this gets me into trouble.
When you’re concerned with knowing exactly what to do before you do it, it’s easy to get stuck in a fog of indecision. This is where most people give up. The more you hypothesize and theorize, the more you run through every possible scenario in your head, the more confused and indecisive and frustrated you get. It’s worse than a lack of motivation; it’s the feeling of being hopelessly lost. You desperately want to get started, but you can’t decide where to take the first step.
You ask yourself: How am I going to do this? What if that happens? What will so-and-so think? How can I make sure nothing goes wrong?
Does this sound familiar?
When you get stuck, it’s better to admit that you’re not going to be certain, then try something (anything) that seems reasonably correct. Here’s what I tell myself:
Make a genuine effort to get it right, then roll the dice and see what happens.
If that doesn’t work, try something else. But when you finally discover a solution that does work, hang on to it and focus on making it better. Nurturing the right idea is every bit as important as eliminating the wrong ideas. By experimenting, you’ll figure things out much faster than people who try to plan their way around every obstacle.
But you’ve heard this before: Do something every day. Ready, fire, then aim.
Since you’re still reading this post, I’ll assume you’re not entirely convinced by these arguments, however good they sound. That’s okay. I wasn’t either, so let me share the one that finally won me over:
Clarity.
People who talk about getting started seldom advertise the almost magical clarity that comes from action, once you stop worrying about knowing every step of the process and commit to doing what’s within your grasp right now. It’s an extension of what I call self-reliance minimalism.
After days or weeks of foggy thinking, clarity is exhilarating. It’s fun. (Remember when you actually had fun doing what you love?) When you let yourself get caught up in the rush of doing, instead of the grind of planning and theorizing, it’s like suddenly remembering why you were passionate about the project in the first place.
Imagine a sailing ship, stranded in the doldrums. Then imagine the sailors’ joy at that first cool breath of wind. That’s the feeling.
Loving your work again. How’s that for a reason to get started?
***
A quick update on guest posting:
First, thank you to everyone who’s submitted guest posts and post proposals so far. It’s amazing to read so many different yet insightful articles – totally gets my creative juices flowing. I’m grateful.
Second, due to the incredible response, the weekly guest post slot is already booked until early March. If you haven’t sent in your post yet, don’t worry. Just remember that it may take a few weeks for your turn to come around.
Third, I’m also looking to write some guest posts of my own. A few of you have already asked me to write for your blogs (thanks!), and I’ll be getting back to you in the next couple of days. If you have a blog and would like a guest post from me, please let me know what your timeline is and if you have any preferred topics. Let’s talk.
That’s it for today. See you guys tomorrow with our first guest post ever!
9 Comments on “A Different Reason to Get Started”
says:
I could not have said it better myself Jeffrey, the amount of joy and sense of ease of doing I always get when I just jump into something is much better than planning so many countless hours. What I have recently started doing with my own work, particularly school is to just make a short plan of my day and go with the flow. I don't try to plan all the details of what or how I will study, I just do(I think that is most important)!
says:
I'm the kind of person that's deathly afraid of failure. Thanks for the reminder to just do – and let the outcome be what it will be.
says:
Great post with great advice. You are spot on when you say that uncertainty or indecision can simply paralyze you and bring your project to a sudden halt. The more I push myself to new grounds and new challenges, the more I have this feeling. However, after reading this post, I consider this a positive sign since this means I AM pushing myself beyond my current limits. Thanks for the great advice!
says:
I also fall into the habit of spending too much time planning and preparing and not enough time actually DOING. I've found that as good as being well planned or very prepared feels it doesn't even compare to actually doing something concrete and tangible toward my goals.
says:
Great point. Sometime you really do just have to jump right in and be flexible and open enough to allow things to unfold when and how they should. It is one thing to set a direction and lean toward it, but another to over plan, over think and get in your own way. You are so right that it is not a prerequisite to have all the answers before we move.
says:
I like finding a middle ground having enough information to make an informed decisions before acting. I used to be like you needing to know every angle every detail to make sure i got things exactly right. I like to call this the Duke Nukem forever problem. Every time you start reworking your strategy to account for another contingency you get that much farther from launch.
says:
It's ironic, but the more you care about what you're doing, the more you have to fight against the fog sit-and-think. But being stuck is temporary, as long as you keep pushing!
says:
Just do – for me, that's the real key to a sense of peace.
says:
I've gotten pretty good at just firing stuff out there and then apologizing later. It's an extension of the frustrations from my day job where it can be excruciating getting a global behemoth company to move forward with any plans.
For the most part, this has worked out for me but there are definitely a couple of times where I wished I had spent some more time analyzing before acting.
I just think it's a good tactic in general that, if you're stuck, try doing the opposite of what you're comfortable doing.
- Charley