Three simple ways to take action
Taking the first (or second or third) step doesn't need to feel so hard.
I didn’t think my 38-year-old knees would love it, but over the last two weeks, I’ve done something I haven’t done consistently in nearly 20 years: run.
Six runs later, my knees are fine and I’m remembering why I used to love running so much in high school - those endorphins are real!
Every other evening, I slip into my old sneakers, tie my guard dog, Brisket, to my waist, hit play on my Couch-to-5K app, and warm up. Then, I run. For the next thirty minutes, I walk and run. Two days later, I do it again.
I’ve been wondering:
Why is it so easy to take action consistently on something I haven’t done for twenty years?
In this issue: The three things that are helping me stay consistent with my runs and how you can apply them in taking action on your goals. Also, an invitation!
The three things that are working
Yesterday, I asked Chat GPT why our brains like to complicate things. One reason stood out to me:
”When we encounter new or ambiguous situations, our brain may struggle to find clear patterns or connections, and may therefore resort to creating more complex explanations or solutions in an attempt to make sense of the situation.”
(Thanks, Chat GPT!)
In other words, in an effort to simplify, we overcomplicate.
The first time I felt nudged to run (more on that below) my immediate thought was: “If I’m going to do this, I need a plan”! I wanted to plan out my wardrobe, buy new sneakers, schedule a 5K to train for, get a subscription to Runner’s World, and many other things, except for the simplest thing of all: run.
This week’s coaching question:
How are you making taking action more complicated than it needs to be?
If you’re currently spending more time creating a vision, strategy, or plan than you are taking action, you may be overcomplicating things.
Instead, I invite you to think about the times when taking action for you has felt simple, easy, and doable.
My running example has taught me three simple ways for making taking action feel simple:
Just act on the nudge
Plan from the bottom-up
Make it fail-proof
1. Just Act on the Nudge
In the last twenty years, I’ve rarely felt inspired to run. Instead, I’ve stayed true to yoga, walking, and hiking. These feel easy to me, whereas I used to think that running was time-consuming, painful, and boring.
So, it was a surprise to me when three weeks ago, I thought, “I should run again.” Perhaps it was the beautiful spring weather that inspired me.
I wanted to question this nudge and offer all the reasons why I shouldn’t do it.
Instead, I decided to ignore all the reasons why “not” and just do it.
What are you being nudged to do lately?
Maybe it’s something scary, like reaching out to someone, submitting a job application, going on a trip, giving a talk, or perhaps running.
Instead of entertaining all the reasons why “not”, what if you removed the option altogether to think about these reasons?
What if you gave your brain zero permission to think about the “why” and instead just “do”?
Your brain will want to feel useful by having you think about “why” or “why not” for doing things. It’s not as useful as you think. Just act on the nudge.
2. Plan from the bottom-up
Sometimes, creating a vision or plan to drive our actions can give us structure and inspire us (like the One Year vision I wrote about recently).
But I also know that designing plans can be a backhanded way for our brains to keep us from doing the most important thing: doing.
Chances are that your brain will want to create plans for the things that scare you most. Why? Because:
Plans feel safe (“If I know what my plan is, then I won’t fail!”)
Plans trick us into feeling like we’re moving forward when we’re not (“I’m taking action, see? I’m planning!”)
How is your brain tricking you into believing you’re taking action by having you plan instead of do?
One way to overcome this tendency is by planning from the bottom up. In other words, act first, plan second.
Here’s how I did this with my running:
On my first run, I ran without an app to guide me. On that run, I learned I wanted more guidance, so on the next run, I added the app.
On my second run, I realized that I wanted to feel safer as a woman running alone, so I enlisted my dog Brisket to join me on the next one.
On the third run, I felt uninspired by my music and decided to listen to a business podcast. Time flew!
My running plan now includes following prompts from an app, taking Brisket with me, and listening to a podcast that engages my mind as I run.
What I learned is this:
We don’t often know what we need in our “plan” until we take action and learn about what we truly need to plan.
Plans have tremendous value but they don’t need to precede action. The best way to build a plan that actually works might be to take the action, learn, and design the plan as you go.
3. Make it fail-proof
What is an action that you can take that is so simple, that there is no way that you cannot take it?
After my first week of running, I realized that running three days a week for thirty minutes felt so easy.
I now call my running strategy “Three for Thirty”.
I know that for me, it’s easy to dedicate 30 minutes three times a week (1.5 hours total) out of the ~112 hours I spend awake per week to running.
One and a half hours of running in one week feels like so little time (for me) that it makes me laugh.
It’s bite-sized.
It’s easy to remember (“Three for thirty” has a nice ring to it).
It’s fail-proof.
How can you distill the action you want to take down its most doable version for you?
If you’ve been struggling to take action towards a dream or goal, chances are, your brain is trying to keep you “safe” from the consequences.
Safe from failing.
Safe from embarrassment.
Safe from disappointment.
But we all know that there is no way around taking action.
We must take action to create the life and career we want.
If there is no way around taking action, how can you trick your brain to keeping things as simple as possible, just as I did with my run?
Give your brain zero time to ask “why” or “why not”. Just act on the nudge.
Catch your brain in the act of wanting to “plan” instead of “do” by reversing the order: do first, then plan.
Distill your action into a simple version that feels so easy to you, it’s laughable. Make it fail-proof.
How does your brain want to make taking action more complicated than it needs to be? How can you show your brain who’s the boss here?
Let me know in the comments!
P.S. Are you struggling with taking action on your vision and dreams?
If I were to guess, it’s not obstacles like time and money that are the only things getting in your way. Usually, the biggest obstacle that stops us from taking action is fear: of the unknown, of failure, of looking foolish, of being disappointed or disappointing others.
F.E.A.R. may stand for “False Evidence Appearing Real” but fear doesn’t feel false. It’s a real emotion. As a coach, one of the most important things I help my clients with is to stop giving their fear so much power.
Fear may be “false” but if we let it stop us from taking action, the consequences are REAL. Real consequences include:
Never getting the raise you deserve
Never giving a talk that inspires hundreds of people to change their lives
Never applying for the role at work that you know was made for YOU
Never repairing a relationship with a loved one
Never building a side business that gives you so much joy (and money!)
I helped my real clients avoid these exact REAL consequences by coaching them through their stress, overwhelm, anxiety, and fears.
I can help you also feel less stress, overwhelm, anxiety, and fear so you can start taking action now.
Let’s talk about what you’re experiencing and how I might be able to help you. All it takes is a 15-minute call to get going. Book 15 minutes right here.
Congrats! The Couch-to-5K app is really good. That’s how I got started running maybe 15 years ago. The whole “getting ready to get ready” thing does try to get in the way sometimes doesn’t it?