I have a lot of ideas. That’s one of the main reasons I started keeping track of things in a public way through this site. I read a lot, I listen to podcasts, i watch youtube videos. lordy – so many youtube videos.
what do I read? (full disclosure – i’m mostly listening so if you don’t count that as reading, now you know i’m a liar) since around 2015 when the entrepreneurial bug bit, it’s been mostly self-help style books or books on marketing or books on mental frameworks or books on business. basically anything and everything I found interesting that could move me in the direction that I wanted to go. In general, while that direction might be a bit fluid (blog post in progress on that) it’s mostly about “up and to the right”.
I consume hours and hours of podcasts from successful startup founders. I watch 100s of youtube videos from folks like gary v that just amounted to hype videos that left me feeling like i was on the verge of doing something great. but no matter how many clips i’d listen to, quotes i’d read, or advice I would dwell on telling me: “just do the thing!” –
I wouldn’t do the thing.
what’s the thing? who knows. there are honestly too many things to count. just check out the big list of ideas post for a fraction of the things I thought would be good to try, but didn’t.
so why didn’t I? if hours and hours of consuming content wouldn’t jump start the ambition – content with an overwhelmingly consistent message that ‘bias to action’ is the important factor – then something must be holding me back. what is it?
know thyself.
I am a procrastinator. there it is. out in the open. I’ve named the enemy and it is inaction. My particular flavor of procrastination is especially sinister too. I procrastinate with things that look like they’re moving me toward the goal.
I want to launch a startup idea. first i need a business plan. market research. maybe listen to some podcasts around that particular niche. oh – maybe it would be a good idea to find the contact information for some people who have done something similar. i could write them a cold email to see if they have any insights.
no launch.
I want to get started with a marches style dnd campaign (did I mention I love dnd?). First step? write the world lore. rewrite it. link it into a huge notion document. set up a discord server. build tons of channels with lots of content and ways for players to interact. contemplate hooks and encounters. draw maps.
no campaign.
I want to make video content for a youtube channel. I should probably write out an ideas list. hmm – some of these things could be a series. maybe I should break it into sets of series. I’ll check if something like this exists on youtube. maybe on youtube shorts? Okay good. maybe instagram reels? I guess sometimes those are different audiences. I should write scripts. inventory my camera equipment.
no videos.
see what I mean? This brand of procrastination is really detrimental because it looks like it’s not procrastination. it’s hiding behind a mask of productivity. but as Billy ‘spear says: a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. Except in this case the rose is procrastination. and it stinks.
So this site is an experiment in overcoming that. a creative outlet and perhaps some day, an accountability tool to stop being a closet procrastinator pretending to be productive. it’s that bias to action that I want to cultivate stronger in myself. So this is me just doing the thing.
I want to make things.
So i started with a blog post.