Bias for Action?
A case for non-doing and delaying your actions
Is bias for action good? Yes, no, maybe!
Action bias is valued a lot in life. Many call it the “just do it” mindset. I, myself, am a big believer doing over deliberating. After all, it is easy to get into analysis paralysis and procrastinate. An action bias eliminates the excuse for inaction as you always default to some action. But, it also prevents us from deciding whether something is worth doing.
As a result, instead of taking careful actions, we start reacting to our surroundings. We either try to emulate others to fit in or contradict others to stand out. Here are some of my last day’s actions to prove the point:
- I started reading a book because many people I know have read it.
- I wrote a LinkedIn post because a PM I envy posted. I am ashamed :(
- I am preparing for a marathon because none of my close friends are fit enough to do it ;)
- I ordered a cocktail last night because everyone else in the pub was ordering one.
My list can go on & on. And you can notice not all actions resulting from social reactions are wrong. They are just actions that I may or may not want to do. And all these small mindless actions pile up as we keep moving with our lives, and someday, years later, we wake up wondering how we got there.
Therefore, it is great to act when we know what we truly want. But, we often don’t know what we want, or we often desire things for all the wrong reasons. So, it is not wrong to delay your actions and analyze why you want to do something. Before doing something new — give it some time. Maybe a week or a month or even years. Dissect your desire and understand its origin. And if it is a thick desire, it will stick with you nevertheless.
Aristotle once said, “actio sequitur esse” (doing follows being). But, our deeds also define our being. If we are not mindful, our being may just become a mindless frenzy of actions.
Non-doing can be the best action.
