Actions Are Priceless. Plans Are Meaningless.

Humans are hard-wired for action. We evolved the ability to plan to take better actions. Don’t confuse the two.

You can spend so long in your head and on paper/ screen, modelling scenarios, that real life becomes oppressive. A ‘Deep End’  in business forces you to attach an immediate (usually uncomfortable) action to any plan, or element of a plan, you create. Working on a new product idea? Mock up the sales PDF and book a meeting to pitch to some prospects. Writing a presentation to launch a new team initiative? Select a handful of your team and pitch your first draft.

Develop a Bias for Action:

1. Recognise your fear and self-story telling. You’ll try and resist most Deep End actions by making ‘what if’ excuses. Ask yourself what’s the worst that could happen, jump into the deep end and act.
2. Create & reward an action addiction. Lead a senior team where talk is dirty and only delivery is exalted. All agreed ideas have actions with tight deadlines monitored.
3. Movement creates momentum. Stuck with where to start? Don’t worry about it, just physically do something. Send an email. Book a meeting. Write a paragraph. When you do, the vital things will become very clear, but they don’t if you just sit there in plans.

Develop a ‘Deep End’ Habit:

• When you feel the knot of procrastination, self-doubt or self-delusion (“I’ll just pay for a little bit more meaningless market research to make myself feel better”), start searching for a Deep End action.
• The only way you’ll solve that craving for achievement or action is to change something outside of you and your bubble (mind/ words). So what can you do that involves others? A good place to start is the end. What can you do now?
• Mock-up/ test/ get something out there. Then you’ll get that hit of achievement, but you’ll also start a chain reaction outside of you.
• Train your brain to convert plans to Deep Ends. Every time you write a plan, force yourself to think of an uncomfortable Deep End.

“Doing is better than perfect” – Facebook company motto