Minimum (Messy) Action For Momentum
Why Progress Feels Better Than Planning
Absolutely, relaxing by the pool, drinking ice cacao, and reading fantasy novels is #success.
However, it is even more satisfying after a period of consistent progress. Why do we find such pleasure in progress? Not sure… dopamine seems to be the latest mainstream villain regardless…
If you’ve found your way here because you’re wondering:
How do I get myself to take action when I don't feel like it?
How do I decide which action to do first? Or…
What is the smallest step I could take to make progress?
Because, like me, you find pleasure in progress and progress in pleasure.
That’s just a catchy way to say that even though the doing isn’t as exciting as the dreaming, the doing is what shapes life, and from which fulfilment, optimism and a steady accumulation of confidence emerge.
Sometimes I enjoy dreaming so much that it spirals into overthinking and over‑planning. This is how I move myself from analysis paralysis (aka overthinking and over‑planning) to momentum and motivation.
How to Build Momentum When Your Unmotivated
If there’s one thing you remember from this article, let it be these words, concept, or even philosophy:
Messy Imperfect Action (ironic that the acronym is MIA)
Messy imperfect action, is action before analysis.
It is pen to paper, or fingerprints to keyboard, and writing whatever comes to mind and then going back and improving. Instead of trying to figure out the best thing to write before starting. Even if you get close to that, you’ll still go back through and edit, refine, and adjust anyway.
The other, often overlooked, beauty of doing it this way is that your intuition can shine through. Intuition gets stifled with overplanning and overthinking, so even if your first attempts are rubbish, there are likely gems you can pluck out for your next attempt.
This applies to any project. What’s the first or next action for momentum, and what’s the first step of that action? Then start that action before you have a chance to think about it.
When you get stuck in a loop of procrastination or perfectionism, it’s either because of fear—fear of criticism or fear of wasted effort—or because of a lack of clarity, aka not knowing what specifically needs to be done.
You overcome your fear of criticism by taking messy imperfect action.
You overcome your fear of wasted effort by taking messy imperfect action.
You gain clarity as you take messy imperfect action.
Creating a great product, starting a business or finishing that project are outcomes, not actions.
Break down the steps until they are so small and specific that they are too‑easy‑not‑to. As a result, you’ll (1) have clarity on the actions as opposed to just the plan, and (2) find it far easier to overcome hesitation when all you need to do is “outline your idea,” then “organise your outline,” then “draft a messy first paragraph,” rather than “write a proposal.”
Start Before You’re Ready: Momentum Begins in the Mess
Once upon a time I wrote a messy imperfect resume, and now I'm writing this article in my track pants, the owner of my schedule, deciding whether to lie in the sun or go to the gym next.
Meaning, there is the next action, and then there is the one after that. At some point, there is a moment when you realise you've arrived at a point you used to dream of. And then, there is the next action after that.
Dear reader, I very much want you to succeed, hopefully as much as you want you to succeed.
Therefore, to figure out what your next messy minimum action for momentum is, and to reignite your motivation for doing that action, ask yourself these questions in regards to whatever it is you are not doing that you want to do.
1. What is the purpose of this task or project?
What's even the point? This question reconnects you to your higher purpose for the task or project. Because if it's not connected to a bigger goal, what's even the point?
When I say higher purpose, it doesn’t need to be “create a legacy” though it can be, but “generate $10k next month” vs “generate 10k followers” is also fine.
If it is connected to a bigger goal, then reminding yourself that this action is a step towards that goal is motivating.
This question has also helped me figure out which tasks have the greatest ROI based on the goal or purpose they're linked to.
2a. What is the first/next phase, stage or step?
What exactly do you need to do first? For writing this article, I could have listed “write article” as the action, but really the first step is “brain dump ideas,” followed by “outline structure.”
Or if you’re designing your website, the first actions are often decisions: “decide on colours,” “decide on software,” “decide on fonts.”
Yes, write decisions as action steps. Otherwise, when you inevitably reach key decisions, you’ll treat them as distractions instead of critical next steps.
If you need to clear the chaos from your mind, write out all the next phases, but don’t go into detail. For larger projects (like developing an app), I add “map out next phase” as the final action for the phase I’m in.
Which leads me to…
2b. What are all the specific tasks within that phase?
List out all specific actions and even sub-actions and sub-action-actions (or is it sub-sub-actions?). If the list is really long, break it into stages and steps.
3. Pick the top 3 tasks from that list each day
Even if you don't finish all 3 each day, still ask yourself, "What are the top 3 tasks today?"
A top 3 item that didn't get done on Tuesday may no longer be a top 3 by Thursday. It happens, more often than not, and you don't want a task lingering in your top 3 just because it was once a priority.
Now, this would normally be the point where I tell you to download some cool template I made and give it a cool name ending with “Framework”. But you don't need that. In the theme of messy imperfect action, scribble on a spare page if you need to, and make it pretty later.
However, if you are creating a big vision, an innovative idea, or a movement that requires more than a productivity pep talk, I’d like to invite you to read more about my Vision Mapping Intensive.
During the 2-hour intensive, we’ll reveal the subconscious patterns shaping your journey (yes, that includes procrastination, or perfectionism tendencies), identify your unique success rhythms, and map a pathway from your current reality to your greatest vision.
Until next time,
Mollie x