The Paralysis of Planning: How to Stop Overthinking and Start Doing

Is the paralysis of planning holding you back from crafting your dream life? I sometimes think that the planning is a big barrier to actually making progress. Why? Because planning is thinking about the steps necessary to step out and live your dream life, but not actually doing the steps.

Yesterday I talked about creating action plans, and why they are important as you start to move toward your dream life. However, let’s talk about how planning can actually hold us back if we aren’t careful.

What is the “paralysis of planning?”

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Simply put, it is making all the plans, but not taking any of the actions. Planning has become a lovely hobby for a lot of people over the past decade. I, myself, have always loved planning and when I first heard of the Erin Condren Life Planners I was hooked. It was so fun to get the stickers, and write with pretty pens.

As a hobby, planning is amazing. It gives you a great creative outlet while also helping you keep track of your life. But, the struggle is when you are spending more time planning and no time doing. If the planning process is crowding out any time for action, you know there is an issue. And sometimes, because we aren’t entirely sure of the right next step, we only spend time making our lists and plans. The plans look great on paper! You think you are making progress, but then you don’t take the next step of doing.

What’s Keeping You Stuck?

There are so many reasons that you could have paralysis of planning. Fear is the first one. You may be afraid to fail, and that is a valid feeling. Failure is, unfortunately, one of those steps in the process. There will always be stumbling blocks. But, that does not mean you shouldn’t at least try. Perhaps instead of thinking the entire plan will result in failure, except that there will be forward and backwards steps along the way. Understand that you will have the opportunity to stop, reflect, and adjust those plans. But, don’t stay stagnant and not take the first step because you fear failure.

Another reason you may have paralysis of planning is due to overwhelm. You know that you have so many things on your plate, and because of that you can’t figure out what the first step should be. I talked a bit about this yesterday, but I will reiterate that figuring out where you can say no – even to the things you like – is very important. Sometimes what you really need is to strip back all the planning to bare bones. Instead of complex plans, reduce it to simple steps, cutting out as much possible until you don’t feel that panic of overwhelm as a cloud over you.

Finally, a lack of accountability can be another reason that is holding you back from taking the first step. You make the plan, but don’t have anyone to check in with about the plan. No one is asking if you did that thing that you were talking about, because you haven’t actually talked about it. If that is the case, I would encourage you to come over and to my membership community where we keep each other accountable as we make progress on our goals.

Overcoming Paralysis of Planning

I recently saw a quote over on James Clear’s Instagram page:

The first minute of action is worth more than a year of perfect planning.

James Clear

I thought that was an incredibly powerful message. Without taking the first minute of action, all of that planning isn’t actually worth all that much. While it can be scary to take the first step, when you do, it will help you take the next step and then the next. Eventually it begins to snowball. The actions that you have laid out in front of you start to show real progress toward what you want, toward your goals.

I understand the challenge of wanting to make everything perfect. If you could just get it all perfect, then you can take the first step. But, we all know that isn’t realistic. Nothing will ever be perfect. Understand that you will make mistakes, and there will be uphill battles. But, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t making progress.

Have you struggled with paralysis of planning? What step will you take today?