Last week, I was searching for the "perfect" topic for my very first newsletter. I finally found what I was looking for. My original plan was to publish the first post at the "perfect" moment, after finding an "amazing" name and a "suitable" logo for the newsletter. Before starting any new project, I like to make sure everything is perfect by doing research and planning. I feel very proud of my progress so far. I have done a lot of research and made plans for various topics to start with. The funny part is that I thought I had started, but I actually hadn't. Recently, I read the 11th chapter of "Atomic Habits" by James Clear.
In this chapter, James Clear discusses the difference between motion and action. He explains that there is a distinction between being in motion and being in action. Although the two ideas may sound similar, they are not the same. When you're in motion, you're planning, strategizing, and learning. These are all good things, but they don't produce results. Action, on the other hand, is the type of behavior that actually delivers an outcome. In my case, I have searched for a couple of ideas for the newsletter and attended workshops to come up with a name and logo. That's motion. Now, I am actually writing this, which is action.
Why do we engage in motion if it doesn't bring results? Sometimes, it's for planning or learning purposes. But most of the time, it's because motion makes us feel like we're making progress without risking failure. We are good at avoiding criticism, as failure and public judgment don't feel nice. So, we often choose motion over action to postpone facing failure.
James Clear said to me (well, I read his words), "Motion makes you feel like you're getting things done. But really, you're just preparing to get something done. When preparation becomes a form of procrastination, you need to change something. You don't want to merely be planning. You want to be practicing." This is exactly what happened to me. I uninstalled Instagram 17 months ago and started looking for what I should do, and I found it on YouTube. I wanted to do things perfectly, so I watched more videos about dopamine detox, how to be productive, etc. My time on Instagram turned into endless watching on YouTube. I'm not saying that planning is completely useless. This search for perfection led me to read "Atomic Habits."
If you want to start something, just start and repeat. It's not about perfection; it's all about repetition and frequency. You don't need to map out every feature of a new habit. You just need to practice it. Practice makes perfection.
I never thought about starting a newsletter before. I always considered it to be the hardest and most complicated public platform. But my whole perception changed when I watched Ali Abdaal's video about newsletters. Yeah, he is one of my "planning" mentors. He even offered to be my first subscriber. Usually, creators say things like this, but I genuinely felt it from him.
Maybe this is the first piece of writing in English that more than one person will read, which written by me. But I can assure you there will be no spelling or grammar mistakes because ChatGPT is my editor. If there are any, I will improve my prompt. Another disclaimer is that there may be some sentences that are the same as in "Atomic Habits," but that's purely a “coincidence”. Until we meet again next Thursday, farewell.
Peace out,
Muhammed Labeeb
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