In my last article I talked about how it’s better to finish something than to start it. I just had a follow up idea. Maybe it’s also more important to do something than to plan it. Once again, I’ve gotten really good at the latter. Every time I start a project I come up with a detailed plan. I write down every feature of the app, or outline every major plot point in a story. I spend many days and countless hours planning everything. I treat planning like it’s a distinct phase of the process. Once I plan everything, then and only then can I begin actually doing the work.
Maybe this is backwards. Maybe plans are meant to be more fluid than fixed. Maybe, just maybe, it’s better to start by doing something and let the plan come organically over time.
One of the things I find myself constantly planning is my schedule. I come up with detailed lists of exactly what I want to do and when. I’ll wake up at 6:00 and shower, then meditate for half an hour. Then at 7:00 I’ll have breakfast. At 8:00 I’ll start working. At noon I’ll take my lunch break, then get back to work at 1:00. And so on throughout the rest of the day.
I almost never actually stick to these plans, but just making them makes me feel oddly good. Almost like I’m tricking the reward system in my brain. The act of making the plan makes me feel like I’ve done something worthwhile, when in reality a plan with no execution is worthless.
Maybe I need to focus on just doing things for a while with no plan, kind of like what I did with these last two posts. Instead of planning on going for a run later today, I go right now. Instead of setting an alarm in the morning I wake up when my body is ready. Instead of planning what to write about I just write.
Hopefully over time, the plan and routine just kind of fall into place.
That’s all for now. I’m gonna go for a run.