How to Strike the Right Balance Between Thinking and Doing

And there’s the rub. Because both types of leaders are more comfortable doing what they prefer, they both tend to spend more of their time on one side rather than the other.

For instance, thinkers tend to drag their feet about actually implementing their new ideas; preferring to mull things over until it turns into procrastination.

On the other side, doers short-change the “thinking” phase and jump right into implementation. You can see the folly in this approach, as well.

The result is that “doers” often have trouble succeeding with their projects, while “thinkers” struggle to get started.

What to Do

The key to running a successful business is learning how to strike a balance between doing and thinking, regardless of your natural inclination. (Of course, as you get bigger you can hire your opposite — but you’re not there yet!)

At first, you’ll most likely have to make a conscious effort to find the balance. I recommend that firm owners schedule time to think about what needs to be done next in their businesses, and in what order (strategy).

And then, they also should schedule an equal amount of time to work on what needs to be worked on (implementation).

Be sure to monitor your adherence to your schedule. If you find yourself skipping work sessions (and saying, “I’ll have to do that later …”), you are probably thinking too much.

If you’re “too busy” to do your scheduled thinking, you’re probably doing too much.

If you’re like most business owners, at some point you’ll realize that while you’re doing things, you’re also thinking about them — what’s working, want isn’t, what’s next, etc.

You probably also start “doing” things during your “thinking” time: “If we just did that, this will work a whole lot better.”

At this point, you’ll have integrated your thinking self with your doing self, and it all becomes one seamless effort. Plus, you’ll find that your project will get implemented faster — and much more successfully.