Thinking Before Doing

This essay initially appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 3/27/23.

I recently listened to a podcast episode titled “Five Ways to Reduce Overwhelm When Writing (aka Thinking)” from author Jenny Blake’s Free Time podcast.

As the title suggests, the episode provides five suggestions for reducing a feeling of overwhelm around writing. But for me, what resonated most was what Jenny said before the five suggestions.

At the start of the episode, she says to do a quick check before you start writing. Are you feeling overwhelmed by writing or by the thinking required to write?

Woah.

She goes on to say that 80-90% of the thinking should be done in advance so that when you sit down to write, you’re just transcribing. She compared it to the idea of meal kit services. Consider the difference between using a meal kit – where the recipe is selected, ingredients are pre-portioned, and everything you need is provided – vs. standing in front of the fridge and trying to decide from scratch what to make for dinner. Which is a more enjoyable process?

It makes sense – of course you’re going to get blocked starting a blank screen and trying to think and write! But I hadn’t thought of it in this way before. And while the idea was presented in the context of what to do when writing, I think it can be applied to so much more.

For past week or so whenever I’ve felt overwhelmed or unsure where to start, I’ve been asking myself, do I need to think or do?

It sounds silly but separating the “thinking” from the “doing” is a reframe that I’ve found to be helpful. Before writing this newsletter, getting started on a project, joining a work call, making my grocery list for the week, I take some time (even just a few moments) to think. It helps me clarify where to begin, identify what I actually need to do, draw connections, and makes the task at hand more enjoyable (less overwhelming).

I’ve been liking it so much, I wanted to share it with you today to see what thought.

As you go throughout your week this week, try taking a moment to ask yourself if you need to jump right into the doing, or if it would serve you best to do some thinking first. I hope it helps to calm some of the overwhelm and make the actions of your days more enjoyable, just like it did for me.  

Have a great week!