Blueprint >> Just Do It

Disclaimer: This document is in raw form as I process and distill 4 years-worth of my personal development notes. Expect some typos and cryptic language for now. I will be updating frequently and polishing up.

Prescription: Take massive action. Just do it.
Related Concepts: Theory vs. Practice Ratio, Reading Self-Help, Deliberate Practice

What is Just Do It?

The idea that action trumps theory by a huge margin. Thinking, talking, and planning are good, but the greatest point of leverage for getting results is just doing it.

Why is it Important?

Without action you will not get any results. The reason you don't have what you want is probably because you aren't taking enough action.

Just Do It Videos

[coming soon...]

Just Do It: Key Points

You are not taking enough action. No service or product can take the action for you.

Are you doing it? Are you ACTUALLY doing it? It's very easy to fool yourself into thinking that you're following advice. Let's say you read a book that tells you to set goals, write them down, and review them every day. Or to write down 5 minutes of gratitude every morning. Sounds, good, but are you actually doing that? Are you following the advice to a T? Probably not. It's easy to tell yourself that you're taking action when in fact you ignore the action or act inconsistently.

In a sense, all of self-help can be boiled down to, Just do it. Taking action is the single greatest leverage point. Just do is a way to short-circuit the need to study self-help, but this is dangerous to say because taking action is exactly where most people fail and they need improvement in inner resources to make them better action-takers. But if you can just will yourself into action, go for it. These are the "natural" type-A, proactive people who would probably have figured it out anyways. Be warned, it's like trying to unscrew a screw using your bare hands. You can probably do it, but wouldn't your rather have the leverage of a screwdriver?

Inner game is important, but without action there is nothing. Inner game is only important in so far as you make it so. If you could just take right action all the time, you won't need a lot of inner game techniques — they are just helpful. The techniques work, but they are not necessary. That is why many successful, self-made people do not use or even know about the techniques. They just are intuitive action-takers.

Action is always harder than idle talk, reading, studying, theorizing, and debating. The people who take action are the ones who learn the fastest and are the most valuable because they generate results. It's more likely the case that you are theorizing too much and acting not enough. Stop planning to start a business or to write that book, and actually do it. No one can do it for you.

On the other hand, some people may have the problem of acting without any strategy, or they may be using a poor strategy. This is a much easier problem to fix. Just read up on theory and spend a bit of time each week on strategic planning, writing out goals, etc.

References

1. RSD, Owen Cook