Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone. ~ Pablo Picasso

Some people will not act until everything is lined-up, all the pieces are in place, and they’re in the “zone”. Typically, these are excuses and self–justification for procrastinating.

One of my professors said it best, “You are better off with a B grade strategy and an A grade implementation than an A grade strategy and B grade implementation”. In other words – do some planning, don’t obsess about being perfect, and then ACT! Doing something is generally better than doing nothing.

Action is the starting point. Some people live by the adage “nobody moves, nobody gets hurt”. (That works best when the police is involved.)

If you only think about doing something without acting, nothing will change. It’s the equivalent of a duck hunter waiting for the perfect shot – ready, aim, aim, aim…. but failing to pull the trigger. Dinner flew by again!

Apply these steps to act your way to success.

  1. Select the priority issue or task to act on. Avoid secondary issues to avoid delay.
  2. Prepare the environment to succeed – get the necessary resources and information.
  3. Conduct trial runs to ensure you are on the right track and recalibrate quickly.
  4. Act! Pull the trigger and see the results of your efforts.
  5. Be prepared to “fail forward”. Failure and challenge can be a great teacher.
  6. Innovate constantly. Try a right brain approach to address technical challenges.

Don’t let your want for perfection become procrastination. ~ Anonymous