Just Do It: Why Action Always Wins
If I could condense every self-help book, productivity hack, and TED Talk into one takeaway, it’s this. Just start.
Seriously. That project, workout plan, or creative idea that’s been sitting in your notes app? No amount of thinking about it will make it happen. The only thing that works is action.
The problem? We don’t like being bad at things. It’s uncomfortable. Embarrassing, even. So we stall. We wait. We convince ourselves we’ll start when we’re ready. But that’s the lie. Readiness doesn’t come before action. It comes from action.
Proof That Practice Wins Every Time
In 1975, photography professor Jerry Uelsmann wanted to test a simple idea – does creativity come from careful planning or repeated practice?
So, Uelsmann ran an experiment. he split his students into two groups:
Group 1: had to submit one perfect photo. Quality over quantity.
Group 2: was graded on the number of photos. Quantity over quality.
By the end, the students who took more photos ended up with the better photos.
Instead of obsessing over theory, overthinking, or waiting for the perfect shot, they had more practice… they were doing… taking messy photos, learning from mistakes, tweaking, and improving along the way. Quantity led to quality.
Reps Over Perfection: The Only Way to Improve
Getting better at anything is about showing up and putting in the reps. Athletes don’t train once and expect to win. They’ve put in reps long before they ever saw the spotlight.
Skill works the same way. More reps = more progress.
Yet, perfectionism convinces us that if we can’t do it flawlessly from the start, we shouldn’t even try. But that mindset kills progress before it even begins and keeps us stuck. No one starts out great.
Every expert was once a beginner who stuck with it. The people who improve aren’t the most gifted, they’re the ones who keep showing up… How’d they do it? They kept showing up. They put in the reps. And that’s what made them better.
Why Waiting to Feel ‘Ready’ Is Holding You Back
We delay ourselves. Procrastinating, calling it ‘research’ or ‘preparation, as if perfecting the plan will somehow make us good at something before we even start. Every moment spent mapping things out instead of actually doing them is just another delay.
Side note: Planning isn’t the enemy, but be honest…how much prep do you actually need? Could you start sooner? Most of the time, you already have what you need. Progress happens when you begin.)
Remember, you don’t get good by planning. You get good by doing. Again. And again. And again.
Usually badly at first.
How to Actually Start (Instead of Just Planning to Start)
Still waiting for the perfect moment? Here’s the truth. You need to start now.
Lower the stakes. Your first draft, first post, first project? It’s supposed to be bad. That’s the point.
Set a number goal. Want to get better at writing? Publish 100 posts. Want to improve your photography? Take 1,000 photos. Numbers over perfection.
Detach from the outcome. Instead of ‘This has to be amazing’, try ‘This is practice’.
Give yourself a deadline. Done is better than perfect. Set a timer, wrap it up, move on.
No-One Gets Good By Sitting on the Sidelines
Stop waiting for that right moment. Progress comes from stepping in and doing the work.
Just like those photography students, the ones putting in the reps are the ones who get better. The messy shots, the bad drafts, the early mistakes – that’s where growth happens.
So, make the thing. Post the thing. Show up, mess up, learn, repeat. And do it again tomorrow. You don’t get better by waiting. You get better by showing up, over and over again… just do it.