Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of prioritizing action over excessive research and planning to avoid procrastination and ensure productivity.

Abstract

The article "Too Much Research Is Procrastination" argues that over-analyzing and over-planning can lead to procrastination, leaving no room for execution or improvement. It suggests that important tasks should be completed before they become urgent to prevent postponing them due to decreasing energy levels throughout the day. The author points out that while research is necessary, real results come from experimentation and personal experience, as seen in the example of online shopping. The article also advises scheduling tasks based on priorities rather than adhering strictly to a schedule, advocating for organized task management to enhance focus and productivity. The author shares personal strategies for effective time management, such as finishing work before lunch to allow for relaxation in the afternoon when energy levels are typically lower.

Opinions

Over-planning is a form of procrastination that complicates decision-making and hinders execution.
It's crucial to do important tasks before they become urgent to avoid the natural tendency to postpone them as energy levels drop.
Personal experience through experimentation is more valuable than extensive research or advice from others when making decisions.
Adults often seek advice to confirm their own preferences rather than to be directed by it.
Organizing tasks by priority and context (e.g., work, evening, morning) can lead to increased focus, concentration, and overall productivity.
Single-tasking and eliminating distractions are key to entering a state of heightened productivity, often referred to as "being in the zone."
The author practices and endorses the concept of scheduling priorities over adhering to a rigid schedule, which aligns with their advocacy for the Seinfeld strategy and the 21/90 rule.

Too Much Research Is Procrastination

It Leads To Over-Planning

I am not talking about academic research here. I am pointing out the research we do before finalising a decision. And too much analysis here, or you can say over-planning, drags our schedule, and it becomes so complicated that instead of executing it, we postpone it for a future date because there is no experimenting time left.

Over-planning leaves too little space for improvement, and you can’t even proceed with the first iteration of the plan.

Do Important Things Before They Become Urgent

Say, it is 10:03 AM. You are in your office and scrolling Instagram (or whatever social media you use most). When your mind boggles at work, you turn to social media loop for entertainment.

You say to yourself, “When it is 10:15, then I’ll start working.”. Okay, now back to scrolling. While at it, time passes so swiftly that in that endless scrolling you realise it is 10:30 and you haven’t opened your laptop even yet. Laziness can indeed drag you till this extent.

In the morning work hours, this doesn’t happen that much because everyone is in a good mood (get lost Monday) and work has just picked the pace. But evening work is the least productive. There we give in to the fatigue and hang out instead. Typical 9 to 5 job does not ensure consistent energy levels through the day.

So doing the essential things first clears your schedule for the second half — otherwise, the tendency to postpone increases with time because energy drains continuously throughout the day.

I used to leverage this in my last job. Finish all the work before lunch and then hang out after lunch. After 3 PM, I don’t feel like sitting at my laptop at all. I just made sure I managed my hours this way. Just to overcome this deadline pressure, I utilise my morning in the best way possible:

come before everyone.
start working before everyone
and obviously, finish before everyone.

My boss would give me some tasks. But generally, he gives EOD as of the deadline, and I finish before that. As long as I am punctual and he does not sneak into my PC, we are updated with the deadline requirements whenever there is a need.

Research Is Necessary, But Results Come From Experiment

Typical online shopping timeline:

You want to buy something.
You search on Amazon because that is the first affiliate link Google shows.
The first price is never satisfying for you.
You compare on all e-commerce platforms.
Get even more confused about pricing and discounts.
You end up doing window shopping without taking anything, OR, you ask a friend for advice.

Let’s be real. Adults only listen to advice. They will eventually do what their heart and mind agree to do. Same goes for online shopping, or even offline grocery shopping, or getting anything where choices are numerous and get personal (like brand choices for electronics or fashion). The advice we seek from friends, that is just a way to confirm that they agree with us. If they don’t agree, we find someone else who does, until we realise that their experience is the basis of their advice. It can’t dictate our decision making.

Eventually, we will be satisfied when we use the product and judge from our own experience. That is why it is called “taste” in shopping.

Same goes for “tag-along” shopping. You are going to the grocery store, and your friend tells you to get something for him. You can do this for however long you feel your time is not compromised. But as soon as you think that he is not responsible and you are the one who ends up doing most of the shared chores, you stand up to him and vent all the frustration at once.

Schedule Your Priorities, Don’t Prioritise Your Schedule

If you have ten tasks in your to-do list for a day, then you won’t get to all of them if they are disordered. Classification of jobs and adding them to their respective categories helps a lot.

Like when you are in office, you should see only the list that contains work tasks. When you go home after work, you should see the functions that you have set to do in the evening time. Same goes for the morning, weekend, month start, month-end, etc. You can have as many categories as you want. I am a huge fan of organised task management, so I suggested some types.

Dividing your day is such a breeze on your brain that it increases focus, concentration, attention, creativity and also fulfilment satisfaction: these all are elements of productivity. You become closer and closer to single-tasking, you experience this phrase then: “Be in the zone”. It happens when you have mastered how to eliminate different kinds of distraction that work environment throws at you.

This post belongs to a series of articles I am publishing in this 21-day streak. See the first one here. It is the fifth one in the line-up — sixteen more to go.

To read the remaining ones, navigate to the end of the first article where there is a reference list ordered by day number.

I even extended this streak and article 22 has the references from day 23 onwards.

~ Sanjeev