“What do you need to lose weight? 2 things: Eat less, and exercise more.” – This is common knowledge, and yet, 61% of the adults in Nauru are overweight. In the USA, it’s 41.9%, in Germany, it’s 22.3% and in Hungary, it’s 26.4%.
Somehow this exact example is popping up again and again lately. We have the information at hand. We have more information than our ancestors, yet we tend to crave more before any action is taken.
We crave certainty, we want to get it done right for the first time, and with that, we keep delaying and avoiding any opportunity to do the only thing that helps us in the long run to achieve our goal(s): To go, and get practical experience.
So, we curated 3 simple, yet potent tips, that may help you get things started in case you find yourself in information-gathering mode for a long time. I will be using the example from the first 2 lines: Trying to build up your first exercise routine.
Not 10, not 20, just 3, so it’s easier to pick one that you can try out:
- Set up a deadline with a “default” setting: This is helpful when you have a high number of options at hand, for example, if you want to build up your exercise routine for the first time.
You can say: “If I do not have progress on the routine by the end of the day, then I will just start by doing 3 push-ups a day starting tomorrow.”. Is 3 push-ups a satisfying routine? Of course not. But, this way you have space to come up with something more sophisticated, and you are already doing it. - Buff your curiosity up: “Let’s see what happens!” is the name of the game. This simple hack gives you the freedom to make a mistake because you are “just seeing where the baseline is”. It is important to then reflect on that baseline, and go for the next step afterwards. Tweak your observation to that baseline, and then go for another round of “Let’s see what happens now!”.
- Establish a sense of urgency: Recognize that every moment spent seeking additional information is time not spent taking action or pursuing other opportunities. If you don’t do the first exercise today, nothing happens. If you do not do it in a week, probably nothing happens. But if you delay it by a year, then you have a year less to enjoy the benefits of starting earlier. 🙂
Did these tips get your ball rolling in your current situation? Do you have a different hack under your toolbelt? We’d love to hear about your experience! Drop a comment below and let us know which tip resonated with you the most. Let’s inspire each other to crush our goals together!