One of the most deceptive and seductive tactics that Resistance uses against us is the feeling that we’re making progress towards our goals when we’re not.

We invent tasks and activities and never-ending checklists for ourselves to complete before we give ourself permission to do the hard work of actually getting started. And make no mistake, that is absolutely the hardest part.

An example would be an aspiring programmer who—instead of sitting down and cranking out line after line of bad code (until it improves)—spends three months seeking out the best programming books available, reading every interview done by their favorite technologists, and emailing programmer friends (and anyone who will listen…) for advice on how to get started.

Another example is the aspiring sound engineer who puts off honing their craft because they’re saving up for a prohibitively expensive piece of software used by pros (and completely overkill for amateurs), when there are comparable free and open-source programs that would be just fine to begin with.

There will always be a reason why today is not the best day, why circumstances are not ideal, and why the timing isn’t right. Eliminating deliberation is how you win.