This is the third in a four-part series exploring the rhythms of Pause, Clarify, Act, and Refine.

Need to catch up? Read Pause: Returning to the Moment and Clarify: Before You Fix It, Understand It.

Now, stick with me. I am a certifiable overthinker.

Need an idea for a trip? I’ll probably send you four possible itineraries complete with hotel options, restaurants, walking distances, backup plans, and links. My staff has lovingly pointed out that my “one-pagers” have a tendency to become dissertations, and my family regularly receives a series of texts from me when one carefully constructed message probably would have worked just fine.

Sometimes that overthinking serves me well. It helps me anticipate needs, consider different perspectives, prepare for what might come next, and notice details others might miss. Those are not bad qualities in a leader. But there is another side to all that thinking: sometimes the more I research, revise, reconsider, and imagine every possible outcome, the harder it becomes to actually begin.

I am not always stuck because I don’t know what to do. Sometimes I am stuck because I haven’t stopped thinking long enough to do it.

When the Barrier Is Me

During my doctoral work, I leaned heavily on Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change, and one step has always stayed with me: Enable Action by Removing Barriers.

Kotter’s framework challenges leaders to identify what is getting in the way of people moving forward and then work to remove those obstacles. I have always appreciated that idea, although I have also had to admit that sometimes the barrier I need to remove is me.

I can identify the opportunity, create the vision, develop the plan, anticipate the challenges, and make the one-pager-that-is-no-longer-a-one-pager. I can keep preparing long past the point when preparation is useful. Eventually, though, there comes a moment when more thinking does not create more clarity. It just delays movement.

At some point, I have to stop preparing to act and actually act.

The Saturday I Couldn’t Start

Not long ago, I had a Saturday with absolutely nothing on the calendar, which felt like a small miracle. I had several things I wanted to accomplish: draft a blog post, batch some social media, work on an article, and review an upcoming keynote. I had the time, I had the materials, and I knew what needed to be done.

And I could not start any of it.

I opened one document, then another. I rearranged my priorities. I checked a few notes. I reconsidered which project should come first. Then I questioned whether I had organized the day correctly in the first place. I spent a surprising amount of time preparing to be productive while making meaningful progress on absolutely nothing.

Then came the really helpful part: I started getting frustrated with myself for being frustrated. Why couldn’t I just get this together? I had the whole day. Why was I wasting it?

Those questions did not help me begin. They only made the barrier taller.

5-4-3-2-1

That was when I remembered Mel Robbins’ 5-Second Rule. The concept is wonderfully simple: when you know you need to move but feel yourself hesitating, count backward from five and then take action before your brain has time to reopen the debate.

So I counted backward.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

Then I turned on Bad Bunny.

I opened one document and started writing. Not brilliantly. Not efficiently. Not with a perfectly mapped-out plan for completing everything on my list. I simply started where I was.

One paragraph became another, and one small action created enough momentum for the next. Bad Bunny did not write the blog post. He did not finish my article or revise the keynote. But pressing play became the moment when I stopped negotiating with myself and entered the work.

That distinction matters because Act is not the same thing as hustle.

Act Is Not Hustle

Act does not mean doing everything. It does not mean rushing into every decision, filling every available space, or proving our worth through productivity. In fact, action without intention can become another version of the very hustle culture I am trying to resist.

That is why Act cannot stand on its own. The rhythms work together.

Pause helps us return to the moment and notice what is actually happening. Clarify helps us determine what matters before we jump into solving. Act asks us to take what we now understand and move it forward.

Without Pause, action can become reaction. Without Clarify, action can become scattered effort. But without Act, all of our reflection, planning, conversation, and good intention stay exactly where they began.

I know how easy it is to wait for the perfect decision, the perfect opening sentence, the perfect plan, or the perfect moment. Sometimes we tell ourselves we need a little more information when what we really need is enough courage to begin before everything feels settled.

Act is not about frantic movement. It is about meaningful movement.

Make the First Move Smaller

One thing I have learned about getting unstuck is that sometimes the task we have named is simply too big.

“Write the article” feels heavy. “Open the document” feels possible.

“Develop the presentation” can feel overwhelming. “Write the title slide” gives you somewhere to begin.

“Address the staff concern” carries a lot of weight. “Schedule the conversation” is a concrete next move.

“Improve school culture” is enormous. “Thank one person for something specific” can happen today.

Research on what psychologists call implementation intentions supports this idea. Goals become more actionable when we move beyond what we hope to accomplish and identify when, where, or how we will begin. In other words, we do not always need clarity about the entire path before we move.

Sometimes we just need enough clarity for one visible next step.

That has become an important reminder for me, especially when my overthinking starts convincing me that I need a more sophisticated plan before I begin. Often, the next move is much smaller than the story I have built around it.

Your Drip Challenge

Think about one thing you have been researching, revising, discussing, planning, or worrying about but have not actually started.

Then ask yourself: What is the smallest physical action I can take next?

Maybe it is opening the document. Sending the invitation. Making the call. Writing the first sentence. Scheduling the meeting. Asking the question.

You do not need the whole plan today. You do not need to know exactly how everything will unfold. You need one action that moves the idea from thinking into motion.

Then count backward.

5-4-3-2-1.

Begin before your overthinking gets another vote.

And if necessary, turn on your own version of Bad Bunny. The song is not the point. The movement is.

Small Actions. Steady Pace. Lasting Impact.

Next in the series: Refine — The One Thing You Can Control

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Go Deeper

Explore the Framework: Kotter’s 8-Step Process
Step 5 focuses on enabling action by removing barriers.
Explore Kotter’s 8 Steps

Try the Strategy: The 5-Second Rule
Explore Mel Robbins’ 5-Second Rule

Keep Exploring The Drip Effect
Download the free Reflection Guide or get your copy of The Drip Effect.

A note on AI: I use AI tools as part of my writing process to support brainstorming, research, organization, and editing. The stories, perspectives, and final words shared here reflect my own experiences, ideas, and editorial decisions.