Thinking Zone
I love to think and strategize, but I’ve realized it’s making me ineffective.
Taking action and being thoughtful can often be in tension with one another. Planners want to plan, and movers want to move.
But which is better?
UNEXECUTED PLANS ARE NO GOOD
Everyone has plans, projects, and goals they are seeking to get done. But many of those ideas get derailed before they are executed upon because they were stuck in the “thinking zone.”
The “thinking zone” is where plans and strategies are worked up, and one of two things usually happens:
First, we can devise a perfect approach of execution, so the idea stays in a state of theory and inaction.
Second, we feel so good about the plan it’s almost as if we’ve accomplished it without lifting a finger. So we end up not taking action on the “perfect strategy.”
“Talk depletes us. Talking and doing, fight for the same resources. Research shows that while goal visualization is important, after a certain point, our mind begins to confuse it with actual progress.”
You know when you’re a thinker when you have journals and notebooks filled with beautiful plans and elaborate ideas. Thoughts are scribbled on whiteboards, post-its, and scraps of paper.
Many of them will never see the light of day. They are the countless thoughts cataloged for all time, and most will never be acted upon.
Action divides the thinkers from the movers.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN IDEAS
The superior man acts before he speaks and afterward speaks according to his action. – Confucius
Get busy! Growing up we would say, “Walk about it! Don’t talk about it!”
Taking action over deliberating and planning takes heart. At some point, we have to move from plans to real work and that means making a commitment and taking risks.
To get out of the “thinking zone” you’ve got to get serious about taking real steps in real time. There are many unknown variables, and there will be setbacks, but it will be worth it in the end.
Stop tricking yourself into thinking there is a better plan or more to figure out. Work with what you know and pivot while you move ahead.
Tags: Action Is A Way Of Life Firm Boundaries Learning And Practicing Stop Thinking Thinking Zone Turn Yourself Into A Doer
