Less Talk, More Action

In Want to Drive Change? Spend Less Time Planning and More Time Doing. From The Tempered Radical, Bill Ferriter states,

“…you've got to spend less time planning and more time doing.  While detailed plans might sound REALLY good in theory, they can quickly become organizational handcuffs.”

This a major problem with many people. There is a fine line between acting responsibly and being paralyzed from action for some reason.

Of course I see many politicians who like to hear themselves talk and spout rhetoric that they think people want to hear. There are many problems that these politicians talk around but never really offer solutions. There is lots of talk and very little action taking place.

Sometimes I am so afraid of failing that I overthink some problems. I have started to look at the problem and trying to decide how immediate the solution needs to be. If I have a faucet that is spewing water up at the ceiling, I’m not going to list the possible solutions and planning to get several estimates from a plumber before doing something. I’m going to immediately shut off the water before further damage can be done.

If I have time to solve a problem, I may think of the possibilities to solve it. If I can, I like to talk it over with someone (usually my husband) who can see the problem from a different perspective. It is amazing to me when he always comes up with an option that I never even thought of.

If no clear cut solution appears, sometimes I like to give some of the options a try to see which one works. Without actually trying them, all the planning and talk is useless.

Sometimes I need to have a little faith and try something, anything. I need to stop talking and planning and trying. Sometimes all that talk and planning is due to fear of failure. I need to encourage my students to do the same thing. I need to encourage them to try things in a safe environment with me there as support.

I need to let them know that failures aren’t bad but rather a learning experience to do something even better. Sometimes I learn more from my failures than my successes.

Do you do more planning or action? How do you balance the two? Please share.

Image: 'Surfer feelin' good'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31533886@N00/3381228607
Found on flickrcc.net