Perfect Plans vs. Progress: Why Action Wins
Why messy action beats flawless plans—and how to take the first step today.
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in a loop of planning and goal setting, but never actually doing? The pursuit of perfection can turn even the best-laid plans into roadblocks.
It’s that time of year—planning and goal-setting are everywhere you look. New year, new you. You set big goals, lofty resolutions — a big hairy audacious game plan. It’s exhausting, isn’t it?
This year feels different, doesn’t it? You think, ‘I’ll get it right this time, with a little more effort and a better plan.’ But that’s not optimism—that’s perfectionism talking.
It feels like you’re spinning your wheels, stuck in a never-ending cycle of “what ifs” and revisions. Recovering perfectionist here. Everything thing needed to be just so, or it couldn’t be put out into the wild.
Every winter, we escape the cold and gloom of our home state. The first snow is fun—but after that? Not so much. The first year we made our plans, they almost did not happen.
Planning months-long travel is nothing like prepping for a week-long getaway. The needs are different, the logistics are more complex, and suddenly, short-term rentals become a home away from home but without any say in the comfort needs.
Sure you have plans, but if you are expecting them to be flawless and perfect you will be doomed to fail before you put one foot in the car.
Perfectionism and inaction are the kiss of death for any plan.
Here’s what most people do when they try to solve this problem:
1. They spend hours fine-tuning their plans. The goal? Perfection. The reality? Burnout before even starting.
2. They wait for the “perfect time” to start. Spoiler: it never comes.
3. They consume endless information, tutorials, and courses. At some point,it is overshadowed by procrastination.
But that’s not all.
- The longer you wait, the harder it feels to start.
- You doubt your ability to execute.
- And your goals feel even further away. Who moved the finish line?
How do I know? Because I’m a recovering perfectionist.
Beautifully, color-coded detailed plans there my thing. I’d spend hours mapping out the steps, creating a plan B to the plan A and convincing myself that the plan was step one of the progress.
It wasn’t.
Stop overthinking and start acting.
I love to learn new things to build new things – but I was stuck in the consumption and planning phase.
Then I read Atomic Habits, which introduced me to the idea of being 1% better every day. Small, consistent changes—not grand goals or big plans—can lead to significant transformations over time.
Don’t get me wrong, you do need to define your end game – goals, plans, destinations. Call them what you will, but they are really the space you land at the end of that destination.
What’s the worst that could happen if I took one wrong step in the journey?
That’s when I realized that the 1% is the action it takes to get there. No perfect presentation but the actual doing of something to keep you moving forward.
Most advice fails because it’s all about planning, not doing. The truth? Even messy action gets you closer to your goals.
Being 1% Better Every Day
It’s not as complicated as we would want to make it. Being 1% better is about small, consistent actions that build long-term success—not overwhelming yourself with endless improvement goals and information consumption.
And here’s how I made the changes.
1. Set time-bound goals that adding in some flexibility. Aim for twenty minutes of activity by the end of the day. A guide, not a task list item.
2. Take imperfect action. It may be messy or even an epic fail, but every step is a step to something new.
3. Regularly review the progress. Look at what’s working, what’s not, and adjust accordingly.
It’s better to stumble forward than to stand still.
Because I’ve been there, I know the fear of failing (in public), but I’ve also felt the thrill of succeeding when I tried to make things happen.
At the end of the day, you want progress—not perfection.
- To feel accomplished. Action beats overthinking.
- To grow, even from mistakes. Progress over perfection.
- To see your dreams turning into reality, one small step at a time.
So, if you’re struggling to balance planning with action, remember: clarity is important, but courage is the key.