Planning Isn’t Progress

Why Smart People Get Stuck (and How to Break the Cycle)

You’re not procrastinating. You’re preparing.

At least that’s what you tell yourself as you open another tab, rework the same Google Doc, or reorganize your Notion dashboard for the fourth time this week. It feels productive. It looks responsible. But deep down, no matter how busy you are, you know you’re not actually moving. You’re just planning to move.

This is planning paralysis. It’s what happens when your brain convinces you that you’re working—while actually keeping you safe from the discomfort of actually doing.

Motion vs Action

When you’re planning, you’re busy. You are strategizing, learning, designing. But you’re not producing a result. You are preparing to do something - but you’re not actually doing it.

Action on the other hand, will produce a result. As James Clear explains, “Sometimes motion is useful, but it will never produce an outcome by itself. It doesn’t matter how many times you go talk to the personal trainer, that motion will never get you in shape. Only the action of working out will get the result you’re looking to achieve.”

For example:

• Motion is outlining ten blog post ideas. Action is publishing one.

• Motion is scheduling a meeting to talk about strategy. Action is making a decision and moving forward.

• Emailing 10 new leads for my business - even starting conversations with them - is motion. If they actually buy something and turn into a customer, that’s action.

Smart people in particular gravitate toward motion because it feels safe. It creates the illusion of progress without any of the vulnerability. But only action creates change.

So if you’re feeling stuck, ask yourself whether you are in motion, or are you taking action?

It’s an uncomfortable question. Which means it’s probably the right one.

Why We Get Stuck in Planning Mode

Planning feels good - it’s safe. There are no stakes in planning. You can’t fail at something you haven’t started. Motion can actually be useful - to an extent. I feel incredibly productive by ticking off a to-do list - even if those items that took me all day didn’t actually move the needle.

But actually starting? That’s hard. It involves risk, visibility, and the possibility of getting it wrong.

Maybe no-one reads your blog and you feel embarrassed.

Maybe the stragey you chose is the wrong one and wastes money.

Maybe the lead thinks you are pushy trying to convert them.

So instead of taking action, your brain does what it’s designed to do—it protects you. It keeps you in the safety of motion.

Psychologist Tim Pychyl, who studies procrastination, says we often avoid tasks not because we’re lazy, but because we want to avoid the uncomfortable emotions they trigger—self-doubt, fear of failure, fear of judgment. Planning becomes a coping mechanism. But it doesn’t solve the problem. In the long run, it just keeps you stuck in the same loop: preparing without progressing.

Why Smart People Fall for It

If you’re someone who’s used to being competent and capable, the idea of moving forward without a fully formed plan can feel reckless. You don’t want to waste time. You don’t want to make the wrong move. So you try to think your way into clarity.

But clarity doesn’t come from thinking. It comes from doing. In start-up land, it’s often referred to as “Ready, Aim, Fire!”. Make the product, ship it, then refine it as you receive feedback from customers. Have you ever gone back and listened to episodes 1-3 of your favourite podcast? There’s a strong chance it sounds nothing like the version it is now.

Most plans don’t actually survive contact with reality - and that’s okay. Progress doesn’t require perfect foresight—it just requires a first step, and then another one.

Readiness is a result of action, not a prerequisite for it.

The Science of Readiness

In a 2010 study from the University of Chicago, researchers found that confidence doesn’t come from preparation—it comes from practice. The more someone acted, the more confident they felt. The takeaway: you don’t wait for confidence to start. You start, and confidence follows.

It’s almost counter-intuitive. You don’t need to feel ready to begin. You begin, and that’s what makes you ready.

What To Do Instead

Stop treating planning like progress. It’s not about ditching strategy or acting recklessly - it’s about recognizing when you’re using planning as a shield, keeping you stuck “in motion”.

The easiest way to take the first step, is to lower the bar. Take the first small, visible, imperfect step. Not the full business plan. Not the 10-week content calendar. Just one real move:

• Publish the post.

• Send the email.

• Record the draft.

• Make the call.

• Launch the first version (knowing it’s the first of likely many).

This is what gets you off the treadmill and out in the real world, where momentum begins.

You don’t need another plan.
You need movement.
Get started.