Better To Do Than To Think

by pw on 7/17/2011, 4:53 AM with 10 comments
  • by rkalla on 7/17/2011, 2:39 PM

    In my own personal adventure with this (DO vs THINK) I have the following thoughts on the subject...

    1. "DOING" doesn't necessarily always mean what you think it means. DOING simply means "forward-moving-action", even if it isn't the super-important-thing-you-have-been-procrastinating-on-for-a-week.

    2. I've found that simply the act of DOING anything that moves me forward, seems to move ALL my efforts forward; a lot of times, just enough to get me over the hill that has blocked me in the first place.

    3. Thinking has its place though. DOING without any THINKING... that isn't any better than constant thinking with no doing. I currently have a 50/50 split between the two and end up thinking of critically important things from time to time that I wouldn't have had I kept DOING non-stop.

    4. DOING is suppose to be fun/challenging/engaging. If it never is, you might be working on the wrong project or in the wrong line of work. Don't be afraid to step back for a sec and think about that, maybe look at some alternatives down the road or start dabbling in some hobby work to try and find what sparks your soul.

    5. If you have been stuck THINKING about something for a month and not moved on it yet because it doesn't feel like you "have it figured out yet", set aside a day or an afternoon and commit to DOING it with the following allowances you give yourself:

      - This is a dry-run, nothing serious.
  - Be as hacky as possible, move as fast as possible.
  - You are just "playing around".
    I've found I get stuck when I need to make a next-move that isn't totally clear and I think it's committing me to something long-term.

    Once you get that momentum moving forward on whatever has been blocking you, you'll get clarity that you are either on the right track (then go back and clean up what you did) or you had it all wrong this whole time (pivot time!).

    This is just what has helped me (a chronic thinker).

  • by keyle on 7/17/2011, 12:35 PM

    Well this applies to nearly every thing.

    Ie. You learn better french immersed in France than reading text books.

    ie. You learn better python doing it than reading HN ;)

  • by beagle3 on 7/18/2011, 6:26 AM

    Obligatory ref: http://www.brepettis.com/blog/2009/3/3/the-cult-of-done-mani...

    (Bre Pettis is a cofounder of the NYC Resistor hackerspace, and of MakerBot Industries)

  • by revorad on 7/17/2011, 10:11 AM

    This is why I'm not too keen on the Lean startup methodology.

  • by aeden on 7/17/2011, 7:55 AM

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