Motion or Action? Will your day be about the motions of planning what to do or will it be about taking action and doing it?
Planning and strategizing don't produce results though they are frequently needed. Action delivers outcomes.
As a perfectionist and an analytical, I think too much. More happens when I take action than when I am in motion trying to achieve perfection. That sometimes means promising what I'll deliver and when I'll deliver before I've started putting together a plan.
Motion is like studying how to do something until I can do it perfectly. This is where we get stuck sometimes. Action is picking up the instrument and putting my fingers and brain to work. Motion is knowing the best exercises to perform, the diet to follow, researching gyms, and having the best workout gear.
Action is putting on the shoes I have and lifting weights in my garage or going around the block. I’m one step further toward my desire to be physically fit. I can be completely out of shape but know everything about getting in shape.
In the book Atomic Habits, James Clear convincingly demonstrates the key to developing great habits is taking action. It’s not how many days in a row you take action but how many repetitions you get taking action. More reps equal more learning and better outcomes.
If I’m in sales, creating a strategy and studying how to land the account makes me more informed. Walking in the door and having conversations results in more new business.
If I'm a writer I can't get lost in edits, I need to publish. If I am an artist I need to paint many subjects or take lots of pictures.
The action of doing helps my thinking expand and improve and grow gray matter in the areas that count. I get better faster than if I use my time studying methods.
Are you more invested in Motion or Action?
