You are the one who puts the next pearl on the string
How Stutz’s string-of-pearls theory helped me beat procrastination
I’ve been procrastinating all my life. When something is hard, and I feel bored or afraid to do it, I may postpone it indefinitely. Over the years, this attitude has caused me shame, financial loss, guilt, and missed opportunities.
Take the following example. A long time ago, I met the CEO of an important American company at a wedding. He was sitting next to me. I had just finished my MBA. We talked, and he gave me his card. You would be a valuable addition to the team, he said.
Tremendous opportunity, right? Only I never called him. I said I would do it tomorrow, and then the next day, and never did. Why? I don’t know. Maybe it was my impostor syndrome, the lack of knowledge about his industry, or not knowing whether it was the right choice for me.
The bottom line is I didn’t explore the opportunity. I never took the step. And it haunts me to this day.
The Stutz documentary
Have you seen the Stutz documentary on Netflix? It is super interesting. Actor Jonah Hill recreates a session with his therapist, Phil Stutz, to showcase the tools Stutz uses to help his patients.
The tools are simple and powerful. To explain each one, Stutz makes a doodle on a card and gives it to Jonah.
You may forget a theory, but you never forget a doodle.
String-of-pearls theory
For this tool, Stutz draws a string of pearls. This is how it goes.
Every day you create this necklace. Every action you take is the next pearl on the string. It doesn’t matter whether it is a small action (brushing your teeth) or a big action (getting a job). It’s just a pearl on the string.
Each action has equal value and contributes to your life. All you have to do is keep going. “Despite the big success or failure, you will keep going,” says Stutz.
Inside every pearl, there is this turd. Because no action is perfect — no pearl is flawless. Don’t worry about perfection. Just continue the forward motion.
The experiment
After watching the documentary, I tried to implement this theory, and frankly, I’m in awe.
I write my tasks for the day and then tick them one by one. I don’t classify them as easy, difficult, or painful. Doing them is enough. Mingling the hard stuff with the simple stuff is building my confidence.
This made me realize that the hard things I’ve been procrastinating about are not so hard if you are a bulldozer doing one thing after another. Also, I never forget the turd. Not everything will turn out ok, and that’s ok.
What is different about his theory is the fact that:
- it is simple.
- it takes the emotional load off actions.
You just start doing things without overthinking. You prioritize the tasks but you don’t give an action so much power that it paralyzes you.
Every action is the same size as the next one. It’s like brushing your teeth.
Most strategies aimed at combatting procrastination are so complex that you procrastinate about procrastinating.
The Pearl theory is visual and simple.
In the documentary, Stutz notes:
True confidence is living in uncertainty. The winner is not the one who always makes the best decisions or looks the best…the winner is the one who takes the risk, will interact with some degree of faith, and then eats the consequences.
So, be the one who puts the next pearl on the string.
Onwards
P.S. I will update this article in a month and share my results. Tell me about yours in the comments.
