Focus On Action: This Is When Delay Is Dumb

Great things never happen to those who wait. I know, I know. The saying isn’t meant to be taken literally. The point holds. The more you delay, the less your decisions sway. Elementary. The more time you spend doing rather than planning or thinking or insert excuse, the better. Great people aren’t made from great things happening. Great people make great things happen.

True Almost Always

Let me be clear. There are exceptions. This isn’t a law. The cosmos does not always play by the rule. Sometimes thinking ahead, making preparations, scheduling, devising blueprints, managing systems, strategizing moves, sketching projects, setting objectives, and similar groundwork for each field is necessary. That’s undeniable. But usually, action outweighs inaction. In most fields and departments. For most individuals and teams. When pursuing most objectives.

Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the answer is analogical. Go signal. Green light. Stop delaying. Stop waiting. Stop planning. Stop thinking. Start doing. Get on with it. Apply this to your life. You’ll see. Consider it the two-minute rule on steroids. Sitting there in deep deliberation over things that don’t matter is a waste of your time and effort. In the “things that don’t matter” bucket reside most of day-to-day decisions. When you find yourself asking, “Maybe I should…?” and the answer is objectively sound, consider it answered. Yes.

Tired, But Not Really

Objectively sound? Anything which meets the following—one of the following. Aligns with your goals. Agrees with your values. Congruent to your beliefs. Works toward your objectives. Bolsters your physical, mental, emotional, or psychological health. Progresses the project at hand. Improves your strengths. Diminishes your weaknesses. Benefits you. Benefits those around without sacrificing you. Is a personal, professional, social, or relational priority. Regard “Should I…”’s answered if a condition from my list is true.

This isn’t rocket science. This is shielding you from decision fatigue. The brain operates on a system kindred to a videogame currency. Decision points. You get a limited amount daily. You spend them on everything—everything which requires your input. Simple yesses and noes. Choosing when and what to drink and wear. Decisions, big and small. Your points are gradually drained. This is why dealerships ask a bunch of meaningless questions before they pull out the money matters. This is why cravings in the evening are harder to resist. You are not drained. Your decision bar is. Fuck decision fatigue.

You Are Irrational

This isn’t a motivating speech. This is showering you with facts. What I began with. It’s true. The tendency to delay is irrational. It stems from psychological barriers. Not logical ones. In most cases. I hate parroting the same thing over and over. Hammer it into your head. This hesitance is natural—rooted in cognitive biases, psychological comfort zones, and misplaced perceptions of readiness or risk. Want to find out why you’re still waiting to start on that goal? Read on, lazy little…

Screw it. We’re going international. Problemo numero uno: you’re scared of failing—the fear of failure. People—people like you; don’t ostracize yourself—delay due to uncertainty. Analysis paralysis. The desire for a perfect plan overshadows the need to act. To-do list crafters, wake up. Problemo numero dos: you hate losing—loss aversion. People are more sensitive to loss than gain. This makes us reluctant to act until we feel certain negative outcomes can be avoided. Problem is, such certainty is unattainable in most places, most pursuits, most of the time. Voila. A classic: someone with an idea for a business. They endlessly refine the idea before launch, hoping to avoid mistakes. The reality: most successful entrepreneurs learn and pivot through trial and error.

Stop Trusting Illusions, Friend

Did you know the Germans first described dyslexia? Problem nummer drei: you think you are in control. Planning provides an illusion of control over uncertain futures. This certainty motivates us to keep strategizing for ever-more certainty instead of executing. Why you feel safer in planning phases than in unpredictable real-world scenarios. People overestimate their control. You have little genuine governance over the future, friend. Sorry. Manifest in project management. Teams spend extensive time planning every detail, when doing, testing, and reiterating would be superior.

Okay, but have you heard that Koreans invented the fishing net? Ne beonjjae munje: you like your comfort. Taking action implies change, which can be mentally and emotionally uncomfortable. People are prone to stick to familiarity. Status quo bias. You irrationally prefer existing conditions over change, even when change offers improvement. Blame biology. This is one we all run into. We delay the healthy diet, exercise regimen, quitting smoking, insert health initiative; despite the objective benefit. The disruption of abandoning comfort stops us. We lock ourselves up, waiting for a perfect moment that never arrives.

Back To The Beginning

Javanese is a language. Not a misspelling. Promise. Masalah pungkasan: you’re a perfectionist. People’s need for perfect conditions, timing, flawless outcomes, or all combined results in inaction. Perfectionism, anxiety, and procrastination go hand in hand. Avoid starting. Feel anxious of not meeting an ideal. Procrastinate with an alternative. Repeat. Self-imposed standards are something else. Writers get this. Waiting for the perfect way to start an article, perfect this, perfect that… In truth, awe-inspiring writing comes from the process of revising and rewriting. Only possible with words on the page. Only possible if you begin.

So, do great things happen to great people, or do great people make great things happen? Achievements are the result of intentional action. Achievements are not the result of waiting for ideal circumstances. Action provides feedback. Planning can’t. Delay means the loss of valuable insights gained through making errors and adapting. Action provides motivation. Not the other way around. Motivation comes after. This is further solidified by the Zeigarnik effect, where incomplete tasks linger in our minds, pushing us to finish them. Action is the only way to break barriers. By taking action, you confront the fear head on and reduce it.

What Beats An Example? Two

Two great examples of action leading to success. Elon Musk and Michael Jordan. Musk’s reusable rockets for SpaceX faced many setbacks—many explosive, expensive, painful setbacks. Every failed launch meant insights for the team. Eventually, reusable rocket tech was born—something the space industry deemed undoable. Jordan’s success was about doing and improving. He missed thousands of shots. Each failure was a moment to learn, not a reason to delay. Each success was a product of consistent and persistent activity, not distant and resistant passivity.

Wouldn’t we all want the recipe for success? You have it. Doing. Planning is only valuable to a point—and excessive planning is detrimental. Embrace experimentation. Fail more. Fall. Miss. Make errors. View fiascos as data rather than defeat. Prioritize the lesson over the outcome. Even the scariest thing—the unknown—is conquered through action. In ambiguous situations, taking a step forward reveals the path, allowing you to refine your methods as you go.

My Two Pence

Waiting is comfortable, familiar, and safe. Acting is difficult, uncertain, and complicated. Progress and success is in process and finesse. Follow Nike’s slogan. Follow the wisdom. “Don’t let what you cannot do,” said John Wooden, “interfere with what you can do.” “The greatest hazard in life,” said Steve Jobs, “is to risk nothing.” “The biggest gap in your life,” said Bob Proctor, “is that between what you know and what you do.” Act.