The
Overthinker's Guide to Getting Sh*t Done
Don’t overthink. Do.
Balancing thought and action will always be a challenge for many
people.
When you spend too much time picturing what a project is going to
be like, too much time thinking about how awesome it will be, and too little
time actually making the thing, you make no progress.
With respect to goals, projects, and other to-do items, it’s easy to
get stuck too long in the thinking and planning phase.
Tyler Cowen, economist and author of Average Is Over, agrees: "The more
information that’s out there, the greater the returns to just being willing to
sit down and apply yourself. Information isn’t what’s scarce; it’s the
willingness to do something with it."
Many people get excited about ideas, but unfortunately, they push
them further back on their to-do lists… and sometimes completely disregard them
as unfeasible or unrealistic.
When you value "the thinking mindset" more than
"the doing mindset," you will eventually end up with a note app or
notebook full of dozens or even hundreds of ideas and plans.
A great percentage of them will never get done, and chances are,
you won’t think about a lot of them ever again. Some get maybe 5 to 10 percent
complete, or a few may be 50 percent done. This pattern can quickly turn into
an inaction habit.
Leonardo da Vinci said, "It had long since come to my
attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen
to them. They went out and happened to things."
A decision alone changes nothing.
As Gregg Krech notes in his book The Art of Taking Action: Lessons From Japanese Psychology, external
reality remains exactly the same after your decision to ask
someone out, write a book, or leave your job. What matters is "creating
ripples," as he puts it — actions, however tiny, that alter
things in the world outside your head.
It’s what you do
that defines you.
Do what you should. Don’t talk about what you should be doing.
Being a doer instead of just a thinker requires discipline and
commitment. Doing involves risk, but it’s the only way to make progress.
If you are not daring and focused enough, you can never get past
the thinking stage of getting work done. Stop thinking you are at a
disadvantage because of your weaknesses.
Embrace the
action habit!
Thinking and planning in advance is important—vital—to your
success, but acting is even more crucial to long-term achievement.
Actions beat intentions.
Not doing anything is the same as intending to do something but
never actually doing it.
Does it really matter if you wanted or really intended to
do something, but ended up just not doing it?
You can never make real progress if you don’t take action.
Instead, every time you read a book or article that inspires you, immediately
apply something from it (no matter how big or small).
The only failure comes in not attempting. There is no actual
failure in giving your all, whatever the results.
Even a small act is significant.
Actions also contain symbolic power to dissolve fears and build
self-confidence and belief. The only thing more daunting than taking action is
taking no action. The bigger the actions, the greater the results.
Thinking about doing is more exhausting than doing.
Besides, holding onto too many tasks without taking action can
make you anxious and stressed. The constant reminder that you have something to
start doesn’t help your well-being.
Instead, maintain the healthy habit of doing something on your
to-do list every day.
Limit your
planning time and take action.
Committing to action doesn’t end once you make progress. It means
you never stop pushing.
Action motivates.
What can you do right now to take even the
smallest step toward achieving your most important goal?
As you think about this question, hold the expectation that the
answer will be something simple that can be done in the next 30 minutes or
less. Whatever reasonable answer pops into your head, accept it and act on it
immediately.
Dale Carnegie once said, "Inaction breeds doubt and fear.
Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit
home and think about it. Go out and get busy."
Get that simple task done as quickly as you can. Sometimes you’ll
flow effortlessly into another task and experience the "first action
effect" that makes it easy to stay productive. It may take a little practice
to use this strategy to consistently take action, but the benefits are
enormous.
Once you commit to getting started, momentum will carry you.
Producing results builds positive momentum. With momentum, you’ll get ahead and
make progress much faster.
Waiting is the least motivating thing you can do.
Not only is doing easier than thinking
about doing, but doing also gives you the ability to check something off
your to-do list, giving you a sense of progress, engagement, fulfillment, and
accomplishment.
Action is the greatest gift that only you can give to yourself...
so get started.
https://greatist.com/live/productivity-how-to-actually-get-things-done
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