The Perfect Plan Was a Lie — Here’s What Actually Moved Me Forward

I spent years planning, analyzing, and waiting — until I realized the real secret to progress.

Image AI-generated by the author.

Have you ever been so preoccupied with being perfect that you failed to pretend to be a scientist carefully examining bacteria? I am certain that I have. I believed that having the “perfect plan” was the secret to success, which led me to overanalyze for years. I would buy calendars I never used, research productivity techniques, and consider every possibility, but I would eventually become trapped in a rut.

This was a complete paralysis of life, not only a slight annoyance. But suddenly something exploded, and I saw things very differently. I want to encourage you to value imperfection by sharing my path from analytical paralysis to intentional action.

Thinking You Need a Perfect Plan? Spoiler: You Don’t.

For a long time, I thought that before I could do anything, I had to have a perfect plan. I believed that I required the ideal investing strategy before I invested any money in the market, the ideal fitness plan before I began working out, and the ideal time to begin learning a new skill. It was a cunning kind of procrastination to strive for perfection.