When Planning Becomes Procrastination
Doing the work is scary; planning allows us to feel like we're doing while staying safe.
I love systems and tools, but focusing on finding the right system, tool, platform etc. has killed more than one of my passion projects. Focusing on these things has allowed me to feel productive while staying safe. The real work of creating and putting a piece of myself out there is terrifying and as long as I avoided that, I wasn’t failing at something that mattered to me.
I know a lot of us are fighting this same battle. Whether it’s a creative project or a work project, we can fall into the trap of trying to get it right and use that as an excuse for not doing at all. So what are some little mindset shifts that can lead to a big difference?
Adaptability
At the start of any new project, we don’t know what we don’t know. It wastes time trying to find the perfect system or answers when we aren’t even fully aware of the questions. Adaptability in this instance says “I’m going to start moving forward and adjust as I need to.”
Why it’s scary: You’re going to make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes are costly in terms of time or money.
Why it works: Clarity often comes in doing. As you’re moving forward, you find you don’t need as much as you thought you did, some things are simpler than you expected them to be, and you become more comfortable and confident in dealing with the unknown.
Next Right Step
We’d like to know what to expect from start to finish, but that’s rarely possible. Your responsibility is to take the next right step with the information you have right now.
Why it’s scary: You are the only one who can truly determine your next right step. You hold all the power of choice, and you also hold all the responsibility.
Why it works: It doesn’t require us to have all the information in advance. We give ourselves permission to make the best decision we can with the information we have - then we give ourselves the grace to accept that regardless of the outcome, we did the best we could and that’s enough.
Good Enough
Minimum Viable Product; 80/20 Rule; Scalable - these are all terms or theories that support the idea of releasing a product when it’s good enough.
Why it’s scary: Being okay with “good enough” means releasing it to be seen, felt, and heard by others. It means opening ourselves up not only to be truly seen, but to experiencing other’s reactions and responses to what we’re putting out.
Why it works: We learn through doing and through feedback from those in our inner circle we know to be trustworthy, or from subject matter experts. It also keeps us moving forward on the path of doing rather than thinking about doing.
Bring Your Perspective
What is something you’ve done that felt scary at the time?
How do you choose action over fear?