“Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.”
Andrew Jackson
There is an important line that separates when to think and when to act. But it’s not easy to see–especially in the practice of daily life. On one hand, you don’t want to spring too quickly into action. Acting too quickly, without thinking things through, can end up causing all kinds of issues. You can end up doing the wrong thing, or doing way more than you actually need to.
On the other hand, we don’t want to suffer from paralysis by analysis. Spending too much time thinking about possibilities and mulling over minutiae can keep you from doing anything at all. I ‘ve been known to get way too into the weeds, and become so ensnared that I never end up starting a course of action.
Developing the Skill
With those two undesirable possibilities, it should be clear how important it is to know when to think and when to act. It’s a skill that deserves attention and development. But how exactly can you develop it?
In my experience, there’s one habit above all else that develops this skill: regular and extensive reflection and preparation. It’s why a weekly reflection process is so important, and remains at the top of my task list in the closing day of each week.
When I reflect, deliberate, and plan–it sets me up to act much more decisively and effectively in the coming week. It makes filling out each day’s list easier, because I’ve already reflected and decided on what deserves my time and attention.
A Regular Reflection Session
In order for a regular reflection session to be effective, there’s a minimum amount of ground you need to cover. I’ve found the best success with doing the components in this order because it takes me from past, to present, to future. Though perhaps others are wired differently. As always, use what works for you.
Reflect on the period since your last session.
- How did things go?
- What did you do well, that you can keep doing?
- What went wrong, that you need to focus on improving?
Review your stuff to focus your mind
- If you have a list of your major goals and projects, review it. Make sure your projects align with those goals.
- Eliminate as many projects as you can that don’t align with your goals.
- Eliminate any projects that aren’t relevant anymore, or put them on a separate list for ‘later’ (i.e., the period after your next session).
- Set up a list of tasks that will serve the projects on your list for the next week or two.
Plan for the Near Future
With your head clear and calm from reflecting and reviewing, it’s time to plan. This can be more free-form, based on how you plan best. But a few key components usually help.
- Look at your calendar for blocks of time that are already spoken for. Fill in other blocks that need to be blocked off.
- Add an action to your task list for any things on your calendar you should prepare for.
- Separate your task list from the Review step into what you’d tentatively like to tackle during each part of the coming week, and what might need to wait until next week.
How Often Should You Reflect?
A weekly session of reflection and preparation is best, but everyone has their own rhythm. Some may need more frequent reflection and preparation. Some may need less. But the great thing is, you tend to be able to sense when you need it.
When you feel like things are coming at you faster than you can make decisions. You need it.
When you’re trying to decide what’s important to do today, but your mind is all over the place, unsure of what matters most right now. You need it.
Of course, you want to do your session before you experience those feelings
Make the time in your week to do this deliberation. Look at all the stuff that’s nagging you to act. Decide which things deserve your time and attention. Commit to stop letting the rest pull at you. Keep doing that as often as you need to in order to feel good about what you’re not doing each day.
