The Mythbusters have this saying, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.” They usually say this when referring to explosives and their crazy experiments. But in real world applications, it’s about doing something worth doing and doing it great.
My job involves a lot of decision-making, before and during work on the field. There are no planned routes and objectives set for us. We each plan our own days according to our area, and so reaching the monthly targets are almost totally in our hands. The results then highly depend on how much work we’re putting into it everyday. This means that preparation is key. Zero preparation won’t necessarily mean zero progress, but some preparation almost always means a productive day.
Now, I mention the Mythbusters quote because it’s something I try to live up to everyday. Do more than what’s expected. Put in more and more hours. Take more and more initiatives. But this has caused me to over-plan, over-anticipate, and overthink. So much so that the quote becomes, “If it’s worth thinking about, it’s worth overthinking about.” As a result, the flexibility of my schedule and the freedom to use my time the way I see fit are both freeing and constricting at the same time.
Analysis paralysis is the situation we find ourselves in when we fail to act, move, or decide because we over-examine the consequences of all possible choices. I suffer from this almost every day as I would find myself sitting on the driver’s seat debating whether I should take this route or that route, whether I should visit this outlet first or the other one, whether I should eat now or eat later. And the next thing I know, it’s been an hour of this internal turmoil and I’m still at the same spot, no progress.
This is as much a piece of advice to anyone as it is a reminder to myself: There is no right or wrong, there is only what we do and what we don’t do. Thinking is all right, but going back and forth in our heads is simply time wasted. There is no perfect choice. We have to decide and face the fire of the results, but that’s loads better than doing nothing and facing the fire of no results.