Less talk, more action

I was raised by a man that was continuously telling me that actions speak louder than words.  As with many of the things that he taught me, this didn't sink in until I got outside my happy little bubble and out in the real world.  My college roommate taught me that not everyone is as considerate as my family had been.  My first job taught me that not everyone is as driven and disciplined as rowers tend to be.  The workforce has continued to teach me that there are "talkers" and there are "doers."

Talkers like to sit and throw around all the things that "we should do," but they never put an action plan in place.  Talkers long to be the "big picture guy," but they don't understand the necessary steps involved in achieving that picture.  The danger of being a "talker" is that unless you're spontaneously born into a CEO position with the luxury of delegation, you need to back these things up with a definitive course of action.  If you don't act, your words gradually lose value.  If you don't reinforce the big picture with the actions needed to move down the road, the picture remains a pipe dream.

Doers on the other hand emerge as natural leaders.  These people understand that dreams don't become reality without taking that first step.  Furthermore, they're able to map out what needs to happen after that first step.  Note that this map does not need to be perfect.  It's this need to work everything out before launching a project that paralyzes people in the talking stage.  Take the leap!  Get the ball rolling! Whatever cliche you want to throw out there, just get started and let the pieces start to fall into place.  You'll make mistakes and you'll have to adjust your course, but most importantly, you'll be doing; not talking.  Google and Apple weren't built by figuring everything out beforehand, so no matter how big or small your project, just get started.

Making changes like this can be challenging.  Something that has really helped me focus on action in my personal and professional life is a principal called the "two minute rule." James Clear is the guy that came up with the idea and the gist of it is as follows:

"Most of the tasks that you procrastinate on aren't actually difficult to do -- you have the talent and skills to accomplish them -- you just avoid starting them for one reason or another.  
... If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, then do it right now."

How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the 'Two-Minute Rule'

The two minute rule is meant to help people procrastinate less, but a wonderful side effect is that it starts to turn you into a doer.  You'll start to take pride in getting things done and in being a person of action.  Slowly this starts to become ingrained in your character.  You realize how quickly many of these things can be done and so you'll be the person to pick up that piece of trash, to unload the dishwasher, to take that first step.

Simple things can have dramatic results and I've found that by starting small and focusing on being a person of action, you can become more productive and a more valuable team member than you ever thought possible.