From the course: Time Management Tips

Overcoming analysis paralysis

From the course: Time Management Tips

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Overcoming analysis paralysis

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- The first step of processing something or moving it forward toward completion is answering the question "What is the next step?" Yet, this "what" is often something that causes people to trip up. I call this analysis paralysis, it's where they're thinking about too many different options, there are too many different things they can do, and they don't quite know how to move forward. So, in this I'd like to share some of the tricks that some of my clients use to move past this analysis paralysis. The first step is to think small. Now, as a leader, as a manager, as a creative person, you like to think big picture, right? It's good to have a vision about what you're going to accomplish, think about all the different aspects of a project. However, when it comes times to accomplishing something, only think about the first minute of activity. What's only the first minute of the things that I need to do in order to accomplish this. Thinking about that will help you focus on just action. Also, when you are processing things, make sure that you're thinking about one thing at a time, not 10 different steps, not 12 different steps, just the one next thing that you need to do. Which leads to the next tip, which is break down these projects. Take big, big concepts and cut them in half, and then cut them in half again. In other words, if I have a project that's going to take a year, answer the question, what do I need to do in six months? And if that's too big, think what do I need to do in three months? Or six weeks. Break it down until you get to a point where it's easy to think about the first step of activity. Also, sometimes it's helpful to self-impose a time limit. The timer is a powerful tool that can be used lots of ways. I like this cube that is a fun way to put a limit on myself. Limits actually spur creativity. They help you come up with new ideas because you're forced into an unusual situation. And last, focus on progress, not perfection. There's no such thing as a perfect system. There's only the next draft. And there's no such thing as a perfect solution. Your goal is to just help something move forward, and any action moving something forward is better than no action at all. Hopefully some of these tips and tricks will help you make it happen.

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