Planning isn't Doing
Stoicism and notes for the sneaky (or fearful) procrastinator
The one thing fools have in common, is they’re always getting ready to start.
- Seneca
I’m not sure when exactly I went down the Ryan Holiday Daily Stoic rabbit hole, but his daily entries and podcast excerpts have been a mainstay in my morning routine for the past couple of years. I like the tiny nuggets of stoic wisdom and some thought-provoking cliff notes to start my day.
As a wannabe writer, this Seneca quote mocks me and all those ideas I have. It’s a sly homage to the endless amounts of UNTITLED NOTES, Google docs, scribbled notes in books and notebooks, and article ideas I have scattered in every corner of my life.
It’s an ode to the time I’ve spent building out my second brain in my Notion organizer. All of the actions I’ve taken to get myself to write consistently are simply ideas sitting patiently- waiting for their time to shine.
If defined in wellness girlie terms, my sheer procrastination is as ridiculous as getting in shape before joining a gym.
I’m usually the first to convince people that there’s benefit in just starting.
Funny how my advice to others is still overlooked by me. Hypocrisy at its finest.
Either way, both of these concepts land us in the same category: fools OR people sitting idly as time presses on.
In an article about doing creative work, the author, Dan Shipper categorizes creative work into two parts: exploration and execution
As a creative, exploration is the process of information intake. The articles you read, the notes you take, the things you see, read, and hear all aid in the creative act: execution.
In today’s world of social media and 24/7 availability, it’s easy to label mindless scrolling as exploration. Tread lightly and pay attention.
The truth is this: while information gathering is great and can help make informed decisions down the line, there is a time when action, no matter how messy, is better than more planning.
If you’ve read The Artists Journey, the circle I continually find myself stuck in is the resistance.
One more day spent planning is another day not spent working towards the goal.
‘Tomorrow I’ll start.’
‘Next week I’ll start.’
‘Next month.’
…Turns into 3 years down the line and the time is still tomorrow.
While stoics would tell you that tomorrow is not promised and all we really have is today, it’s the truth of course, but I think sometimes that insight can just seem abstract until, well, it’s too late.
When people are afraid to start I think of another cliche quote that has always comforted me, “The best time to plant a tree was yesterday. The second best time is right now.”
Emphasize action.
If I had written something every day when I first set out to make this goal, I would’ve been writing for the past four years. But instead, I’ve been living. Planning. Gathering all of these ideas, still uncertain of how I want it to take shape.
This advice when applied to my training helped me accomplish great things throughout my average athletic career. Daily action helps me get stronger and lift heavier weights. Daily action increases my average step count. Daily action helped me complete a marathon. Daily action has helped me achieve any lofty goal I’ve set for myself.
Daily action leads to results.
So now it’s time to overcome the fear of sharing words and just take action.
30 days of writing and sharing. I’m not entirely sure how I want this to grow. But I want to try in public and explore while you read with me too.