Preparation is overrated – in my humble opinion.  I’ve come to that conclusion over many years.  I used to focus on preparation.  I wanted to have all the information and skills I considered necessary before moving forward with anything.  This, as it turns out, really slowed my progress.

The problem with my approach was that I spent a lot of time preparing.  But what was I preparing for?  Maybe I was just delaying moving forward.  Maybe I was scared.

The opposing piece of the “preparation” side of the coin is the actual “doing” side of the coin.  One is preparing to do something.  Without the actual doing of something, then any time preparing is a waste.

What’s the old proverb, measure twice, cut once? That sounds like at least 66% of the effort is spent on preparation. But the value, or the big prize, comes from the cutting, which is the “doing” part of the process.

I find myself questioning my preparation and have turned more toward just moving forward as quickly as possible. I still spend some time on preparation because it’s necessary but get to the doing part as soon as possible.

Let me give you an example.  In 2021, I completed two Ironman triathlons. Those were my goals.  Articles I read and coaches I spoke with informed me that I should start with short triathlons and then work my way up to medium length triathlons before attempting an Ironman.  The old Chris would have followed that advice. The new Chris said we’re not doing any shorter triathlons in preparation for the Ironman.  I trained as best I could but I wasn’t going to spend extra time and effort in the preparation stage by racing shorter races. I finished both Ironman triathlons without racing any shorter triathlons.  That, I have come to find out, is unusual.

My process now is to set goals, reduce the preparation to what’s really necessary and move forward.

I think there is a lot of power in less preparation and more doing of the thing for which one is preparing.  

Instead of getting stuck in the preparation stage and over analyzing something, consider moving forward by simply taking the next step.

It’s more comfortable in the preparation stage. I’ve found that the doing part is where things get really uncomfortable. That’s when I stick my neck out. That’s also when the reward is achieved.  Without doing, without moving forward, there can be nothing achieved.

Take the next step.

Chris

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