Action Over Consumption

I have a goal: Turn sapoots into a booth.

A booth like you’d see at any convention. A place to interact with new people and show off some of the cool work we do here.

And so, with that goal in mind, I started to browse YouTube.

Video after video, I absorbed information about how to setup a booth, the legality of things, how to decorate a booth, product strategy, etc. It was awesome. I learned a lot—forgot a lot too—but it felt productive.

But then I asked myself: Am I closer to opening a booth?

The answer was no. Despite feeling like I was closer because I learned something, I was no more closer to my goal.

“Shit, I’ve done it again”

I’ve seen this loop before.

I’m stuck in a loop of consumption and avoidance, failing to apply what I learn and focus on what’s important. You may be stuck here too.

I have been reflecting on this for quite some time. It’s been obvious I consume more than I take action, but when I saw this video by Ali Gallop, it validated the feeling of this cycle. Watch the video, you won’t regret it.

“Stop pouring. Start drinking,” Gallop says.

“Action over consumption” I say.

This video was a stark reminder of my habit to consume rather than create. I have to feel “ready” before I start something. This feeling is flawed. This feeling of readiness is a fear of failure in disguise. It’s a fear of avoiding the self-deprecation that follows failure. And so, I’ll learn until the likelihood of failure is null.

It’s a fallacy. I know this. Consumption is safe. Learning is safe. Safe because it delays the difficulty.

Confidence is not born through study—it’s born through surviving failure. Confidence is not born through rereading your notes. Confidence is born through failing a question on the practice quiz and remembering the answer the next time around.

And so, to reach this goal of mine I will need to take action. I’ve consumed enough.

But that’s just the first step.

Once we’ve decided to take action, there’s another hurdle to get over—we must make accurate action, not find ourselves distracted by shiny objects.

Why is it that we intend to do so many things but never get all of them done?

Part of the reason is our tendency to work in the periphery. We avoid doing what is required, but indulge in things just close enough to feel like we’re making progress. To feel like what we’re doing is relevant.

Did you clean your room instead of working on your assignment?

Did you vacuum instead of doing the dishes?

Did you watch a workout video instead of working out?

Did you redo your resume instead of applying to jobs?

All of these things are “productive” and are technically “taking action”, but you’re not doing the thing you silly goose. Feeling productive in the periphery is delusion.

It’s proactive distraction.

Remember: The results you’re after are in the work you’re avoiding.

I have an image branded into my conscious for when I start working along the perimeter, written by Strangest Loop:

Ask yourself: What is my goal? Be precise. Am I doing the thing that needs to get done, or am I finding things to do in the meantime? Be honest. Why am I avoiding doing the thing?

This concept is not new. We all do this. We pretend our time is best spent consuming when sometimes it isn’t. Watching YouTube is learning! Watching that hour long documentary is learning! Learning how to draw is productive! Learning how to use photoshop will be helpful!

We delude ourselves into thinking our quest for knowledge is productive, but is it really?

What are we learning for?

We learn so that we can take action.

Your time is worth more than random factoids you think will be useful in the future.

Your time is worth more than caving to your avoidance guised as productivity.

Again, these are reminders to myself. Over time, I’ve certainly made strides to combat this addiction to consumption.

I’ve created sapoots, I’ve built the website, I’ve picked up photography, I’ve illustrated over 100+ concepts. I’ve created music. Written over 30+ blogs. I’ve done some things.

But this didn’t just appear out of thin air, and I still struggle. My natural inclination is to consume instead of create. It’s been a deliberate effort—sometimes a daily struggle—to keep on track. A daily effort to learn efficiently and utilize what I already know to make something great.

Oh, and when the time comes to take action, I focus on what’s worthwhile, not what’s on the perimeter.

You have to find a way to break the loop. Focused action is the solution.

And yet, sometimes the simplest things are the most difficult to uphold.

I promise that you’ve already learned enough to start. What are you waiting for?

Is it a hobby? A career advancement? Is it fitness?

Go and start taking action—it is action alone that will close the distance between you and your goals.

Til next time,

sprout 🌱

_(┐「ε:)_🤍🌱

The Thing by sprout

Oh, and a YouTube comment I slightly edited