Okay, don’t STOP learning. I’m a HUGE advocate of learning.

I listen to up to 7 different podcasts each week.
I read 20-30 books a year. (Nobody reads 52 books a year)
I subscribe to several business and coaching specific newsletters and feeds that I comb through regularly looking for new ideas.

But let’s be honest, we all know plenty of people who are CRAZY “learn-ed”, but when it comes time to apply those smarts, they lose all composure and are often unable to complete the simplest tasks. In fact, it’s never been easier to learn something new. A few Google searches can provide endless options for learning a new skill. The problem with all of this access to learning is that it can create a kind of intellectual paralysis that keeps us from implementing what we’ve learned for fear that there might be a better method, a better plan, a better WAY to do something that we just haven’t discovered yet.

Ideas are great, but they’re everywhere. Timely and strategic execution on those ideas is what helps you win. You must think AND do to make progress.

So, before you just start jumping into the “doing” part, it would be wise to create a plan that allows you to continue learning, but to mitigate the amount of time that is spent ON learning. Here are a few suggestions:

Limit the number of resources that you’ll consult before taking action. This could take the form of a pre-work statement like “I will only look at the top 3 articles and listen to the top 3 podcast episodes on this topic.”
Limit the amount of time that you’ll spend learning before taking action. For example, plan to spend only one hour researching and taking notes on a topic before digging in to the work of the project.

Seek out an expert that can help you fast-track your learning. This is the challenge that I see most entrepreneurs struggling with the most. They are so conscious of money and ego that they choose to simply “just do it myself,” often to the detriment of both the business and themselves.

Okay, now that we’ve found a few ways to accelerate learning, the next step is to begin learning how to accelerate DOING. First, understand that while learning is awesome, it can also be a deep source of procrastination – one that’s hard to shake. You see the problem is that learning is SO EASY to justify. After all, who would ever tell us that “learning is bad?” Nobody, right! (Well except me, of course). It’s easy to justify learning even if it’s just for the SAKE of learning. What we need to see though is that learning serves a great purpose…the APPLICATION of that learning to create a better life.

Kill the Friction – As you realize that you are procrastinating your action, take a close look at what’s causing you to not start. Is it that you feel you don’t have enough information or practical knowledge or experience to complete the task? Are you trying to do too many things at once? Do you believe that you’ve bitten off more than you can chew? Well, there’s once solution to these challenges and that’s to GET STARTED. You need to take a hard look at what’s causing you not to start and systematically remove those issues from your life by GETTING STARTED. Perhaps you need a coach or an accountability partner to help you do this, but there is no substitute for action to help you break a pattern of procrastination.

Get Focused – Notice that the first step here isn’t to create a plan and goals. No, the first step is to eliminate friction by getting started. This is so important. Overthinking where to start has killed many a plan. Just START. The next step then is to GET FOCUSED on what you really what. Not in a fuzzy, “I’ll try”, kind of way, but in an “I WILL DO THIS” kind of way. What specifically do you need to remove from your life in order to give this new project the time and energy that it needs? Write a very simple goal statement for where you’re headed and get laser-focused on that being the priority. Don’t worry if the goal isn’t S.M.A.R.T., or doesn’t flow off the tongue or the piece of paper in a fancy way. Write it in a way that works and resonates with YOU. Now, make a choice to put this thing above all other things in this moment. Everything else can wait while you make progress toward THIS goal.

Gain Momentum – Now that you’re focused and headed toward your goal, the next step is to gain momentum. One of the biggest killers of action is overwhelm, and overwhelm is nothing more than the thought that there is too much that must be done. By getting started, you’ve already begun to chip away at that seemingly endless to-do list and now you simply have to KEEP MOVING. Momentum creates more momentum. When I was training for the Leadville 100, I came to accept that the first 25 minutes or so of my training rides were going to be painful, and boring, and whatever other challenges I could create for myself. But after that, the rest of the ride became easier. Why? Momentum. If I a) got moving and b) kept moving my body and mind responded by rewarding me with dopamine which encouraged me to keep moving.

Check In Regularly – Once you’ve gotten moving and headed in the right direction on a project it’s important to occasionally check-in with yourself and others to make sure that you’re still headed in the right direction. This check-in should be more of a “glance at the gauges” than a “stop and reassess”. Remember, you’ve already DECIDED that you’re going to do this thing that you’re doing in a prior step. Now you’re just making sure that what you’re doing is still moving you in the direction of your goals.