Learning, planning, doing

I've noticed that my work can basically be divided into three areas: learning, planning and doing.

Sometimes, I need to read books, watch videos, do some research, so that I know how to do something.

Other times, I need to plan what I'm going to do.  Before I start writing, I need to think about what I'm going to write.  Make an outline, plan it out, brainstorm, make a list, etc.

Then there's the actual work.  Where I'm writing the piece that's going to get sent out or published or posted. 

While all three components are essential, the actual writing of the piece is the hardest.  That's where all the stakes are.  That's the part that makes the impact.  It's where the risk for failure (or success) lies.

There's always a temptation to spend more time on the learning and planning.  They're safe.  And they're also essential.

The problem is that time is finite.  When I'm learning through reading a book or a report or watching a video, I'm not writing.  When I'm writing about what I'm planning to do and how I want to organize my day, I'm not writing the piece that's going to go out.

Yes, they're all important.  But the learning and planning don't amount to anything unless i actually do something as a result.

Effort and impact

It took me a long time to learn this, but I've found that there is a relationship between effort and impact.  It's not always linear but it's generally positive.  The more effort you put into something, the better the final product is and the greater its impact.

Now I see it in even the simplest of things.  For example, there are many ways to deliver a message.  You can send it in an email, you can say it over the phone or you can meet someone and say it in person.  It takes more effort to meet someone in person than it does to make a phone call and more effort to make a phone call than it does to send an email.  Likewise, even when the words are the same, the impact of the message is related to the effort used to deliver it.