{"id":4550,"date":"2020-11-11T17:00:14","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T17:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/?p=4550"},"modified":"2021-09-19T15:19:20","modified_gmt":"2021-09-19T15:19:20","slug":"stop-thinking-and-take-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/stop-thinking-and-take-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Thinking and Take Action!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I lie in bed, barely conscious, on that blissful edge of slumber, an interstitial zone where time slows and stillness reigns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It would be easy to drift back into sleep, carried by dreams back into oblivion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I know I need to break the reverie and get up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thoughts begin to arise, pleading to remain in the warm embrace of bed where it&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/comfort\/\">comfortable<\/a> and safe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then the deception starts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Complex justifications I tell myself to delay the discomfort of waking up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given air, these thoughts spread like wildfire, creating perfectly plausible reasons why I deserve an extra hour of rest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, I force myself to stop thinking and take action, waking up to face the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s stopping me from starting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is just a mini example of how our we&#8217;re often our own worst enemies, self-sabotaging constructive action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite best-laid plans and admirable intentions, in the moment of truth, our resolve collapses as we buy into distracting, diverting and ultimately, undermining thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It happens on repeat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only every morning when waking up to start these articles before work, but for all short-term pain, long-term gain activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The thoughts become more pernicious in two common cases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>When trying something new<\/li><li>When trying something difficult<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ve all been there, having consciously decided to implement a new habit and finding that at the appointed hour, we can&#8217;t follow through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Perhaps you want to lose weight and exercise in the morning before work<\/li><li>Maybe you&#8217;ve been meaning to polish your CV and apply for new jobs<\/li><li>Your taxes might be sitting in a dusty digital folder awaiting your attention<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though we know that actioning these items is beneficial, we just can&#8217;t get going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So why the hell can&#8217;t we stop thinking and <a href=\"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/taking-action\/\">take action<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reasons for procrastination<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thoughts are often just a form of delay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We tell ourselves they&#8217;re a necessary part of the process even when the decision&#8217;s already been made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So why continue with these unhelpful patterns? Two reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fear<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Evolving, our survival was predicated on fearing new and dangerous activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A useful mental heuristic in prehistoric days perhaps, but not when all we want is a quick jog. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although most of the habits we desire are completely safe, our neurological development hasn&#8217;t kept pace with societal change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, even benign activities <a href=\"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/understanding-fear\/\">create fear<\/a>, overthinking and inaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Discomfort<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Humans hate discomfort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, it&#8217;s an inbuilt survival mechanism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In times of uncertain resources, expending the least amount of energy for the maximum reward was prudent, mainly regarding meeting our basic needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of us have warm homes and fridges which are overflowing with food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the lizard brain intervenes, questioning why we want to willingly endure short-term discomfort when shelter and energy are abundant, even if the long term rewards are apparent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stop thinking and take action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So how can we act in spite of our evolutionary conditioning? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some suggestions which have helped me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Amplify your desire<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Changing embedded behaviours or persisting with new habits is difficult without a strong reason to do so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don&#8217;t really want to make a change, your resolve will invariably falter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Write down your reasons for taking action and decide whether they&#8217;re strong enough to endure the expected discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reframe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if our desire isn&#8217;t strong enough, we can reframe our reasons for acting to make them more appealing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In moments of overthinking and <a href=\"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/types-of-decision-making\/\">indecision<\/a>, rather than obsessing over the task, I imagine the behaviour is intrinsically tied to my identity, making it a matter of personal honour to stay true to my word. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this way, even in the absence of motivation, I view taking responsibility as a <a href=\"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/personal-growth-experiences\/\">personal growth experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Get organised ahead of time, knowing exactly what you need to do and in what order. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inaction thrives on indecision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Review the next day the night before and make the necessary preparations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If that means placing workout gear next to your bed, so be it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or if scheduling it in the diary is required, do it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I always try to have a list of articles on standby and decide before bed which one I want to write the following day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then when I wake up, I start scribbling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Less thinking = more action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thinking vs doing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The techniques above are great, but there&#8217;s just no substitute for reducing the activation time between impulse and action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply do not give yourself any time to think. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-background\" style=\"background-color:#f6f9fb;color:#4d535e\">Ready, fire, aim<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When your alarm clock goes off, get up immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Don&#8217;t<\/em> give thought any space to percolate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your attention must be funnelled straight into constructive action and invariably, any potential thought will wither away as you become absorbed in your task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The power of not thinking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This article is both a personal and public call to arms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unnecessary thought has derailed too many positive intentions and must be stopped if we&#8217;re ever to make meaningful progress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Decide what you want to achieve, act first and leave the thinking for later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I lie in bed, barely conscious, on that blissful edge of slumber, an interstitial zone where time slows and stillness reigns. <\/p>\n<p>It would be easy to drift back into sleep, carried by dreams back into oblivion. <\/p>\n<p>But I know I need to break the reverie and get up&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Stop Thinking and Take Action! | Bloomsoup<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you need to stop thinking and take action? 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