One of my favorite quotes comes from American author Ernest Hemingway. It says, “Never mistake motion for action.” Many times, entrepreneurs talk about how much they’re getting done in a day. The issue is that yes, they’re getting a lot done, but they’re not moving the needle forward. They’re simply in motion with a bustle of activity—pushing papers, getting the little things done, giving in to distraction, doing things for others but not for their own business. Motion.
Think about how we talk about motion versus action. You’re simply IN motion, but you TAKE action. The phrases alone tell you a story. Motion is all about planning, strategizing, learning, thinking. And sometimes activity. And people get stuck here. A lot. How long have you been THINKING about doing something or wondering about doing something or planning on doing something? That’s a form of motion. Motion doesn’t have an outcome attached. Action, on the other hand, is all about the outcome. It’s implementation and forward progress.
This is all well and good, but today, I want to go one step further—let’s talk about INTENTIONAL action. Intentional action not only moves you forward toward an outcome; it moves the needle forward, toward your goal. If we’re just in action, we could be completing a task list or making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be at a certain time. But again, this is just about outcomes that aren’t moving you toward your business goal. It keeps you busy but not in an intentional way. It’s time to get INTENTIONAL about the things that will move you forward.
So how do you do this? How can you get into intentional action?
1. Choose one to three tasks a day that are directly related to your goals—whether short term or long term.
For instance, right now, I am preparing for my three-day event coming up in a couple of weeks. Every single day, I am doing some activity that relates to either working on the event or getting attendees to the event.
2. Ask questions of yourself.
“Is this thing I am about to do going to move my needle or move me closer to my goal?” “Where on my calendar today am I doing something directly related to my goals?” “Is what I am doing simply an activity, or am I taking action?” If you can stop and ask yourself these questions before engaging in an activity or task, you may find that you start choosing differently. The bonus is that you are keeping your goals top of mind and right in front of you!
3. Plan out your day the night before or in the morning.
I know you hear me talk about this all the time. But seriously! Don’t try to plan on the fly, and don’t get stuck in the planning or without a plan! The easiest way to waste a bunch of time or to be in motion is to not have a plan. Some of you may be resistant to having a plan because you think it ties you down and you want your “freedom.” Unfortunately, it’s getting you nowhere. Think of it like this: the time of day you do something is totally up to you—there’s the freedom. But if you don’t have a plan, all you have is an intention without being intentional. Remember, what we’re trying to do here is put you into INTENTIONAL action—not just in motion and not just having the best of intentions. My goal is to have you REACH your goals.
Now go out there, get into intentional action and meet those goals!
For more on this, here’s an article from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits that talks about motion vs action.
Need a little with planning your next steps? Check out our Daily Productivity Planner here.