Stop overthinking it... take action.
Since COVID-19 hit, I've been in a bit of a panic...
In January and February, I was literally working ~20 hours per week and spending all my free time working on fun side music projects.
Then in a matter of weeks I was thrown back into heavy work on my businesses as I realized just how fragile they are.
Through these weeks, I've gone through a lot of ups and downs... mental hurdles... epiphanies... and setbacks.
In this article, I am going to share one of the simple mental frameworks that has helped me through these uncertain times.
When the path is uncertain...
In the current environment, "uncertain" seems to be the popular word of choice. It is quite the accurate choice of wording, seeing as many of us entrepreneurs don't know what the future will hold... and as a result, we don't know what choices to make for our business right now.
Business is already uncertain as it is... add a pandemic on top and it feels like gambling at a casino.
And so for the first few weeks of the pandemic, I was all over the place... stressed... freaked out... in a panic.
But here is one lesson that I kept reminding myself.
When the path isn't clear, it's because you lack the facts to make the right decision.
At many moments, I found myself trying to make a decision.
Thinking through mental models or frameworks, analyzing pros and cons...
Yet the decisions still felt "uncertain".
And whenever a decision doesn't seem clear to me, it's often because I lack the facts.
When I say "facts" I mean "data" or "information" that is going to help you make a better decision. This could be feedback from the market, from your customers, from prospects, etc.
For example, I was debating making some shifts to the positioning of Content Allies, yet I was struggling because I realized I was thinking in hypotheticals, and what I really needed was more conversations with these new prospective customers.
That is an example of lacking in facts.
So how do you get more facts?
Action leads to facts. Overthinking it doesn't help.
Throughout all of the thrashing around and trying to figure out my way through COVID, one revelation showed up for me many times in my daily journaling.
Actions leads to facts. Overthinking doesn't help.
Whenever I found myself struggling with a decision, I took action.
I made a decision to move forward and try something...
Sometimes that was wrong...
For example, my first pivot of Content Allies’ niche was a flop... but I only learned that by shifting and trying something new.
On the Lead Cookie side, we had some ideas on how to build new business models. We then ended up launching some of these concepts super quickly and gaining quick feedback and validation.
Yet the trend that shone through through everything was "action leads to facts."
And those facts will tell you if you made the right decision, or if you need to course correct.
Time's are never certain. Action leads to certainty.
While "uncertain" seems to be the word of the current times, I would argue that business is always uncertain.
And while this post may be written about making it through the current COVID situation, I would argue that this mantra and mental framework can hold true through any times.
When you aren't clear on a decision, take action.
Action will lead to facts.
Facts will validate your decision or give you data to course correct.
Overthinking doesn't help.
What decision are you overthinking?
Stop overthinking it. Take action to gather more facts.
How this played out for me
I had an opportunity to partner with a team member from the Philippines and launch what will become one of the top ukulele brands in the world. I didn’t overthink it. I hopped in and just did it. Check out Huni Ukuleles.