Episode Transcript
Too Much Planning Is Not Good
Find the Balance of Planning and Doing
I’m an overthinker. I can spend a lot of time thinking through things before taking action. This isn’t always bad, but it often reduces productivity. On the other hand, diving into things too quickly can lead to mistakes, wasted effort, and having to back up and change course. This isn’t very productive either.
Finding a balance between these two things is a better plan.
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve discussed how being busy is self-inflicted and the importance of delegating. Both of these things require action, not just thinking.
Earlier this week, I met with a couple looking to remodel and add on to their home. They both have ideas of what they want but aren’t sure how to do it. They could move forward without a plan, but it might not turn out well. There are some physical issues with the current structure that have to be considered.
This discussion took longer than they expected. The husband kept apologizing for taking up so much of my time. The wife kept apologizing for what she called going around in circles.
The point here is that I could tell them we could do what they want, give them a price, and start working on the project. The problem is that the likelihood of that turning out well would be slim … very, very slim.
I shared a story once about removing a clothesline pole and how moving forward too quickly can create problems. My assistant was setting up a trampoline and swing set for her daughter. Before she could begin, she needed to get rid of a couple of clothesline poles.
She started digging around the first pole, not knowing how much concrete surrounded it or how deep in the ground it went. After days of digging and discovering far more concrete than expected, she found herself with a pretty big hole.
She did not let overthinking stop her from moving forward with her vision.
Some people would say that in her youth and lack of experience she bit off more than she could chew. She could have done more research and procrastinated over this for a while. She could have saved up some money and hired a professional. She did neither…she started digging.
The importance of getting this play area ready was the determination she needed to push forward. After digging for a while, she could have quit, but she didn’t. She had an objective, she knew what it was, and nothing was going to stop her.
There was a point where it was evident that she wasn’t physically going to get the pipe and concrete out of the hole. After some re-evaluation and research, it was decided to cut the pipes off. She needed some help with this, and I happened to have a cutting torch. After this was done the dirt was put back in the hole, burying the concrete and a trampoline was set up.
This project is no different from any other endeavor we face. It may turn out to be bigger and more time-consuming than expected. There may be unanticipated circumstances that raise questions and create doubt. We may need to incorporate some help to achieve our goal.
Moving forward and not overthinking is critical to getting things done.
On the other hand, if she had thought about this a little more and done a little research before she started, she could have saved a lot of time and hard work.
The best way to achieve a goal is hard to know upfront. Like the customer trying to figure out what they want in their home project. If too much time is spent thinking and planning the project will never get done.
There have been a lot of times when I have put off doing something because I wasn’t clear on the direction. Maybe I thought it was going to be too hard or take too long. Then, after I finally got started and it was done…the actual doing was way easier than I thought it would be.
The way to deal with overthinking is to think.
I know this sounds backward, but you need to spend some time thinking about who you are. What things do you like doing? What things are most important for you to accomplish your purpose?
Get clear on these things and then be intentional about focusing intensely on the most important things first. If you’ve thought about it ahead of time you will be much better prepared when you need to make decisions.
The problem with overthinking is in the “over” part.
Overthinking is a roadblock to productivity, but it doesn’t have to be if you avoid the “over” part.
If you’re ready to stop overthinking and start moving your business forward, let’s talk. A focused plan can change everything.
