CKat Monthly Newsletter

3-minute read

What do you need more of: planning or action?

Reader,

I was asked an interesting question the other day when discussing some of my own goals for 2026 (and where I ran into challenges this year):

"What if the reason you don't start is because you’re waiting to feel like you’re already finished?"

Intro

Planning is a safe way for us to feel like we're moving, without actually moving at all. It's a great impersonator of progress.

If the goal is "100," we start planning when we're at "0," focused on at how sweet "100" is going to be.

Going from 0 to 1... that's where it gets challenging; that's "The Process."

Do you ever catch yourself waiting to feel like you're already finished before starting something?

Do you find it hard to, "trust the process?"

I do! And what makes it harder is I absolutely love to plan.

Planning feels like progress. I’ve always had several planners, to-do lists, notebooks, and systems in place to keep planning...

Planners and Do-ers:

I have an awesome vision for this newsletter. What keeps me stuck is wanting perfect systems and a “large enough” audience before beginning. It’s discouraging to compare my slow start to everyone else’s highlight reel.

So, planning feels like a great way to make progress on my newsletter. But is it really progress?

Some people are do-ers. Some are planners. Some fall in-between.

I'm absolutely a planner, so I know that for me, what really moves the needle is taking action. No matter how 'small' it may seem. I know that planning for me is often an excuse to avoid starting, or acting.

For others, the do-ers, planning in a more intentional way may provide more direction, clarity, and structure allowing you to reach the destination faster (like mapping out your route as opposed to just walking and figuring it out).

Being busy and on-the-move doesn't automatically = progress. This too can be a disguise to real progress.

What do you need more of as you head into 2026? Action or planning?

For the planners:

What if you shifted focus to the one thing you could move forward today? What would that unlock?

What helps you get out of planning mode? How can you add more of that into your process?

For the do-ers:

Why are you working towards this goal in the first place? What makes it important to you?

Which actions move you forward… and which just keep you from sitting still?

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Questions to help you plan AND act in 2026:

Where are you waiting to feel ready before you take step 1?

What's the uncomfortable step you're avoiding?

How often are you celebrating step 1? Or, do you only celebrate your arrival at the final destination?

What 'small' move would create real momentum for you?

What will you gain by simply working towards your goal? In other words, if you never actually achieve the end state, what will you still have gained by trying?

Happy Holidays! Happy Planning! Happy Doing!