Don’t Get Stuck in Over-Preparation, and Never Taking Action
For creatives, there’s always the danger of getting stuck in over-preparation and never taking action.
In a recent newsletter article titled “Beyond Over-Preparation: How to Start Before You Feel Ready,” Anne-Laure Le Cuff writes about researching rare Asian teas to prepare for launching a new business. She spent so much time researching and thinking through the project and trying to over-prepare everything that she eventually lost interest in it and never took action.
She presumed that when she thought everything was ready to launch the business, she’d know and do so. That time never came.
Reflecting on that experience, she observed, “Many of us fall into the trap of believing that we’ll know when we’re ready. But the key to making any real progress is to be able to transition from preparation to action before you feel ready.”
My Personality Has a Tendency to Over-Prepare
My personality tends toward over-preparation. Like many creators, I want my creations to reflect my best work. However, that commitment to quality can sometimes prevent me from taking action.
I tend to be a perfectionist. So sometimes, I spend too much time working on a topic or on a project instead of getting to a point where I’ve done enough and it’s ready to take action and write a blog post.
Also, I don’t like to take risks, and it feels like I’m minimizing risk by over-preparing. I like to be in control; the best way to do that is to prepare thoroughly.
How Over-Preparation Can Become Procrastination
Over-preparation can also be a form of procrastination.
Over-preparation gives the illusion of progress and productivity. It’s easy to think we’re being productive just by gathering information when we’re just delaying the actual work.
It can indeed be productive to prepare. I do my best work when I prepare adequately and don’t try to wing it, but over-preparation is spinning your wheels. You spend time preparing but not actually doing anything.
As Anne-Laure Le Cunff says, “Preparation is essential. It equips you with the knowledge and tools you need to begin any ambitious pursuit. But there’s a thin line between preparation and overpreparation.”
However, over-preparation can be a form of procrastination. As long as we’re preparing, we’re not doing.
How to Stop Preparing: Set an Action Deadline
How do we break out of the cycle of endless preparation?
One method that works for me is setting a clear deadline. Knowing I must make a move at a specific time forces me to shift from planning to doing. When I reach that point, I start, trusting I can make adjustments along the way.
Start with a small first step. If you reach a point where it’s obvious you need to do more preparation, such as research, set aside a limited time to do it, and then get back to action.
Lessons from my Military Experience: When “Enough” is Better Than Perfect
It also helps me to take action when I’ve done ‘enough’ preparation to take action.
When I was an Air Force JAG (judge advocate, a lawyer in the Air Force), I was constantly asked questions that required research and answers. For example, a commander might want to know if they could raise money for a squadron social function by raffling off tickets for a ride on an aircraft simulator. Or, they might want to know if they could use money from a designated category to spend on a particular type of project.
Because of the workload, there was insufficient time to over-prepare each issue. So, I had to learn to sense when I’d done ‘enough,’ then take action by preparing a written answer and potentially briefing the commander, and then move on to the next issue.
It’s important that we, as creators, also gain the same sense of ‘enough’ when preparing to do our creative work. Hopefully, this will help us avoid over-preparation.
Taking the Leap: Moving Beyond Preparation
The next time you catch yourself caught in a spiral of over-preparation, remember that progress isn’t about planning perfectly—it’s about moving forward, even when you’re not 100% ready.
Being successful is not about your ability to plan, but your ability to act.
Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Beyond Over-Preparation: How to Start Before You Feel Ready
Over-preparation can feel productive, but it often serves as a comfortable way to avoid the vulnerability of actually starting. Taking action doesn’t mean dismissing the importance of preparation—it means knowing when to step away from the planning phase and embrace the momentum that comes with starting.
Whether we’re writing a blog post, launching a project, or engaging in any creative endeavor, the key is to recognize when we’ve prepared ‘enough’ and then start action.
So let’s set the research aside, take that first step, and trust that we can course-correct along the way. Progress will come not from perfect preparation but from showing up and taking action.