So, you have a plan but haven’t made progress.
I’ve owned this website for almost one year.
Yes - an entire year!
But if you peek around, you’ll notice I haven’t always shared weekly content. I wasn’t posting consistently until I started Courtesy Clips. I have a few pieces I’m definitely proud of, but they were few and far between (you can see them here).
However, I wasn’t MIA.
Over the summer, I was researching topics, creating a writing schedule, and redesigning this site a dozen times. I felt compelled to choose the absolute best layout and figure out the perfect section titles. I was debating the colors, font, a bio page, and everything else on my actual site before I could really hit the ground running. I thought that’s what I had to do.
And honestly? It was exhausting.
Some days it felt like I was really getting somewhere. But more often than not, I was overwhelmed and discouraged. Despite all of the brainstorming, redesigning, and researching, I was stuck.
Trying to perfect my website and pick my niche (as a multi-passionate person this is extremely difficult) didn’t help my cause at all. This approach was not only harmful to my creativity but a distraction from what I needed to be doing, which was writing. My blog was still bare - not exactly the greatest look for a writer. It wasn’t until I decided to take away the complications that the Courtesy Clips were born. I’ve been more motivated ever since. Instead of focusing on creating the best platform for my content, I focus on writing the best weekly mindfulness and lifestyle content I can. All of that perfecting comes a little later.
Sometimes creating the action plan to tackle a goal, or project makes it feel like we’ve already done the hard work. Writing that to-do list, calendar blocking, looking up new recipes, picking your gym days ahead of time, or buying your journal, all make it feel like you’re moving forward.
But not so fast!
Yes, planning is essential. When you have a big picture goal, it is crucial to know what you want to achieve and how you are going to get there. We undoubtedly need a plan (as the saying goes if you fail to plan, you plan to fail).
However, your plan is just ONE of the tools in your goal-getter toolkit. The magic happens when you take the first step.
I had (and still have) big aspirations for this platform. But I had to take away all the pressure picking my themes, promoting on social media, and building a following. After all, with no content, who would follow me anyway? I took ownership of what I wanted and needed to do to be successful: write. I told myself every week I’d write 1-2 shorter articles about topics I love that have changed my life.
Think about it – you can spend two hours creating a beautiful, color-coordinated calendar to help you remember your loved one’s birthdays. But if you don’t intentionally look at that calendar every day or once a week (and leave it on your spare table collecting dust), your goal to send a birthday card to everyone this year likely won’t happen.
James Clear put it best in his book “Atomic Habits.” He differentiates between “tacking action” and “being in motion.” Being in motion often feels like progress because it does usually align with what it is we’re trying to accomplish. He wrote:
“When you’re in motion, you’re planning and strategizing and learning. Those are all good things, but they don’t produce a result. Action, on the other hand, is the type of behavior that will deliver an outcome.”
Motion is definitely useful. But my blog is the perfect example of how it can actually hinder your progress. Sometimes it’s your biggest procrastination tool. Motion feels like you’re running on the hamster wheel for days, weeks, or months with nothing to truly show for it.
Let’s face it, planning is the easy part. Planning fools you into thinking you’ve already made progress. But your first step has more impact than your plan ever could. If you’ve fallen into the circle of “motion” as I have, get moving!
What’s the action step you’re taking this week?
