Still Thinking About It

This is just another day, light’s entering through the vent, birds chirping and I just had an early breakfast after so many days. With a day-making music in the back, I am constantly thinking if this is how I planned to kick-start my day before I went to sleep last night. I know I didn’t, but for some offbeat reasons I am still thinking about it.

It took me a good 30 minutes to start this line, damn birds have probably flown to another country, and the same music is looping for the 7th time — I need to learn to make a playlist. I wasted this time thinking if I was doing the right thing, and as it turned out, I kept thinking and didn’t do a damn thing — Brilliant. Let’s compare: Just thinking and doing nothing VS little thinking and doing something?

Thinking is necessary, one must think, calculate the outcomes and design a strategy. We must decide the extent, a limit for thinking part and save a bigger chunk for translating those thoughts into work. But often, this whole process of planning takes more time than the actual execution. Sometimes we don’t even get to the execution because we fear the whole attempt could go south. What we don’t understand is wasting an attempt is far better than wasting time. Attempting something reveals your standing, it makes you aware of your powers and talents, it gets you going, it breaks your hesitation and it takes you to productivity. Even if what you attempted turned out to be a rock-hard toast, it’s fine — we can take that. Now you know what’s wrong and what needs to be adjusted, and most importantly now you are active. The world is full of awesome things, and all of them are the results of multiple and consistent attempts.

Most of the times at Quora, I come across the questions that start with “How”. How to write? How to kill hesitation? How to avoid procrastination? So on. People are genius. They will apply all kinds of scientific shit-storms and tell you what to do. “Man, wake up at 6, or don’t bother waking up at all. Eat this, and DON’T even think of eating that. Go jog, or your limbs will decompose. Keep a routine or just die.” This is crazy. They, and most importantly you, know that the only way to get anything done is by actually doing it. Period. No magic or spiritual brouhaha will scoot out from the unknown galaxies and do it for you. You got to respect Newton here. He made it clear that unless you move your ass, nothing will be done — or maybe a formal version of it.

Again, thinking is important, but know the limits. In my opinion, there are two kinds of things.

A — Things that you love to do. In my case, the things that I love to do include but are not limited to watching movies, following news, writing shits, listening music, eating junk-food, walking, eating junk-food. I repeated it on purpose because…, it’s just the way it is. We usually do not think before doing what we love to do. We just do, because we enjoy them.

B — Things that you are supposed to do. They suck. I share the same feeling. I know the pain. But, that’s how the world spins. You need to do your part. When we do such things, we think too much. Partly because they don’t usually tempt us the way Type-A things do, and partly because we are not familiar with them. We fear about failing, and hence we only end up delaying them. This delay keeps piling things up, and next you know it becomes an ocean. Think, but think less. Whatever it is that you’re troubling to start. Figure out what it’s worth. Imagine the glory you’ll probably receive once you’re done with it. Fantasize! For the sake of it, take the first step. Blow the dust. Don’t get warmed up, just start the drill. Go, get failed, repeat and rock.

So here’s a million dollar trick: Just do it.