Are you someone who aspires to achieve things but finds it difficult to take any action? Most likely you are stuck in the overthinking cycle, where you are too cautious before taking a step ahead.

Thoughts are essential, but you also need action. Taking action isn’t easy, especially if external factors affect you more than your internal drive. Zig Ziglar rightly said, “You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great”. You may get nervous and feel like procrastinating. It is okay to feel that way and you cannot do much about it.

But once you start acting, this feeling can automatically convert to that of adrenaline. For example, do you remember when you plan to go jogging early in the morning, but you just find it difficult to get out of bed? Once you are out of bed and running, you begin to feel the runner’s high. The same goes for any other action. The mood will follow the action.

So here are some tips to get you going:

1. Deliver on your promises

Quite often we promise ourselves or those around us that we will do something. But over a period of time if we don’t see immediate results, we get less enthusiastic. Don’t let that happen. Deliver on your promises in terms of the efforts you put in, irrespective of the final result.

2. Show up

The biggest indicator of a winning attitude is showing up no matter how you feel. This attitude should be a core value to you. For example, there might be days when you don’t feel like attending your regular classes. Do it anyhow. It may happen that you are not focused during the class. But make sure you write down the notes so that you can go back and study on your own.

3. Put things into perspective

Most of the time overthinking makes you exaggerate things and circumstances in your mind. So instead of worrying about everything, categorize them based on whether they really matter to you in the long term. For example, if you score less in a school exam, don’t feel disheartened. Don’t give up just yet. Think from the long term perspective. If you were considering the next 5 years, would your scores matter more or your learning?

4. Stop waiting for perfection

We grow up in a society where we worship perfection. It doesn’t have to be the best or nothing at all. Things are not black and white. So, stop waiting for the day when you are perfect. Instead, start to get better at doing something while you're doing it. The only thing that matters is how better you are today as compared to yesterday.

For example, most of us fear solving past year papers because we are scared that we are not fully prepared for them. That day of perfection might never occur. That doesn’t mean you should give up on solving those papers. In fact, the learnings you get from those papers will help you in scoring better at the exams. The mistakes you commit will help you avoid them in the future.

5. Put a timer to work

Hard work is not bad, but it has to be time-bound. Without any timeline, you may end up spending more time on something where it was not required and less time on something where it was required. So, plan your day in the morning or the previous night and try to stick to the plan as far as possible.

Even if you can follow just 50% of it, you will still be better off than without a plan. If you find yourself losing focus or overthink while studying, write down your thoughts on a piece of paper, set aside 5-10 minutes just for thinking and think only during that time. This will allow your mind to fully focus on the task at hand and finish it within time.

Of course, you’ve got to know what you are doing and you’ve got to plan. But you’ve got to also do it. So get into action, and results will follow! What are you waiting for?

If you found these tips useful please do let us know in the comments below.