We’ve never known more information. We’ve never had access to more information. It’s really quite staggering. If you want to start a charity to save a species of animal, there’s a book. Need to know how to make a million dollars? Find the person of your dreams? There are books, videos, and courses on the topics.
Whatever you want to accomplish, there are step-by-step plans available to you.
So, why don’t we have all of those things? It’s simple, we don’t take the necessary action.
Instead, we convince ourselves that we need to know a little more. We’ll get started after reading another book, on the first of the month, or after saving a few more dollars. Unfortunately, it never seems to happen. There’s always another book, another month, or another bill to pay.
Use these strategies to learn and think less and do more:
- Realize that nothing in your life will change until your behavior changes. There’s not a magical tipping point that occurs when your knowledge reaches a certain point. Things don’t happen just because you know something. Taking action is a critical step in accomplishing anything.
- Set a schedule. Suppose you want to write a novel. You might give yourself an hour of learning time for every 8 hours of actual writing you perform. Think about where you are in your development. A 1:1 ratio might be more appropriate near the beginning of your development.
- Strive to find an effective balance of learning and doing. There’s no reason to just beat your head against the wall doing things that aren’t working. There’s no point in learning from sunrise to sunset either. Find a balance that maximizes your success.
- Take action each day. Never allow a day to pass without doing something. Write one sentence or make one phone call. Whatever your goal is, take at least one small step each day. Small actions lead to big results if done consistently.
- Notice how you avoid taking action. When it comes time to actually do something, what are you likely to do instead? Have a snack? Watch videos online? Take a nap? Clean the house? How do you avoid your work?
- Be aware of your outcome. Maintain an awareness of the end result. Instead of thinking about how horrible it will be to go to the gym, think about how great you’ll feel when you lose 25 lbs. Instead of dreading those cold calls, think about how amazing it will be to finally quit your job or to spend a week in Paris.
- 6. Review your day. At the end of the day, measure how much you actually DID. Keep track in a journal or a spreadsheet. Vow to do at least a little more each day.
- Call a ban on new information. Don’t allow yourself to learn anything new until you’ve reached a milestone. It might be writing 20 pages, getting one client, or earning $1,000. There’s no reason to worry about how you’re going to juggle 20 clients if you don’t even have one yet.
There’s a time to focus on learning, and there’s a time to focus on doing. Most of us spend too much time and energy gathering new information and never put it to good use.
Accomplish more by doing more. You already know enough to accomplish a lot. There will always be time to acquire more information when necessary. Until that time, focus on taking consistent action.
How much have you done today?
