Are you stuck in a cycle of accumulating knowledge without taking action? Do you find yourself drowning in ideas, but struggling to bring them to life? If so, you’re not alone. We have libraries of knowledge at our fingertips, waiting to be utilized. Yet, all too often, we fall into the habit of collecting knowledge without putting it into practice.

It’s like reading countless books on how to ride a bicycle without ever hopping on and giving it a try. These are your habits holding you back. Breaking the habit of dreaming and becoming a doer and start taking action.

You have a library of knowledge in your mind just waiting for action. Procrastination, comfort zones, and the fear of failure hold us back from taking the necessary steps to turn our knowledge into something tangible.

Are you stuck in collection hell?

I fall into this quite often. I spend a lot of time learning and accumulating knowledge without putting it into practice.

The feeling we get when we learn and research makes us think that we are productive and achieving something, when that isn’t necessary true.

We are making progress in a sense, but probably not towards something tangible.

Don’t get me wrong, knowledge is valuable. But, it only becomes valuable when you apply it. It doesn’t have to create an action directly, but it has to influence action. Let me explain.

Let’s say I read up on how to edit videos in order to make some videos. I can spend hours reading but if I’m not actually gonna start editing some videos what I have read hasn’t actually helped me.

Furthermore, if I keep collecting information, I will most likely learn the same thing over and over again. I spend more time than necessary learning what could have taken less time if I started experimenting.

When you’re in motion, you’re planning and strategizing and learning. Those are all good things, but they don’t produce a result.

– James Clear

Imagine if before we could learn how to walk, we would need to understand the physiology of our bodies and the physics of gravity.

It’s unnecessary.

Ideas are great but don’t amount to anything

Take a second and reflect over the ideas you have and have had. How many ideas have you used to create something? If you are like most people, not many.

Reflecting on this is interesting because we treat ideas like they have some intrinsic value. But based solely on the number of ideas we have each day, inflation would dictate that they are in fact not especially valuable.

They can amount to the most beautiful things. Just like people can become extraordinary. The difference between the ordinary and extraordinary is resilience and action.

It’s not enough to take action once, just like it’s not enough to do one sit-up.

I know what I should be doing

You probably know what you should be doing, so why aren’t you?

My guess is that your habits and routines have grater influence of your action than what you are aware of. In this sense, I’m not necessarily talking about what you spend your time doing all day, although that is part of it.

It’s possible that you have a habit of procrastination or staying in your comfort zone. Which makes sense, it’s part of human nature to seek comfort.

Don’t wait for motivation, motivation comes with action.

Become a Doer

Dreamers have millions of ideas. They are able to visualize a multitude of possibilities and opportunities. Full of aspiration, but unable to translate it into action.

I would consider myself a dreamer most of my life. As I said previously, I love accumulating new knowledge about varying topics.

If you are like me, I imagine that you also feel like you are making progress in this state. But I hate to break it to you, you are not.

You’re just daydreaming.

So, how do you break this cycle? You have to become a doer. Find tangible actions you can take and do them. Find a balance between getting engulfed in your dreams and aspirations and the actions you need to take to move forward in life.

Create balance between creativity and execution.

Someday I would like to…

Most of us have something they are going to do someday. We tell ourselves that we are not ready or that it is not the right time.

These are your limiting beliefs. The next time you reactively think that it’s not the right time, do this:

• Is this objectively true?
• What are the risks to waiting?
• Are other limiting beliefs strengthening this belief?

If you think that it’s not the right time because you don’t have enough time, consider this.

You have enough time

well, maybe. Sometimes we misinterpret priority as lack of time.

In the grand scheme of thing, you have the most time you will ever have right now. Not to go all existential, but for every passing second you have less and less time, so you will never have more time than you do right now.

Yeah, I felt weird writing that paragraph too. Moving on, The point is that you might actually have more time than you think.

Most of these thoughts, limiting beliefs, are actually just habit. They are enforcing a feeling of not being or having enough, and so it is.

You are only as capable as you think you are. So the good news is that you can choose to be capable and ready.

If you think you are not ready, read on

We often learn more by doing. Which obviously means we need to start doing. But how do we rip ourselves from our life of comfort and security.

The 5-second rule (affiliate) is something that can help you with this. Popularized by Mel Robbins, this simple self-help technique can help you overcome procrastination, hesitation, and self-doubt.

The Idea is that you want to take action before your brain has had the chance to talk you out of your impulses. Imagine that you are a rocket ready to be launched, count backward from 5.

4

3

2

1

Lift off! Here is where you take that desired action. Follow the momentum you have created for yourself and get going.

Whatever worries you have had will dissipate with action. It’s so easy to get stuck in your own head that most of the time all the problems you created dissipate as soon as you get going.

So, what do we do with our knowledge

Okay, so let’s get into the good stuff. What do we do with our knowledge? There are a few ways we can apply what we learn.

The simplest thing you can do is share it.

Knowledge is meant to be shared

It is said that The best way to learn is to teach, so the least you can do is tell someone. Sharing what you have learned will not only benefit others but also yourself.

How you share and teach is up to you. The simplest thing you can do is tell someone. Talk to about it.

As you talk about your chosen subject, you will gain insight about it by reflecting on it from different angles. You actually learn more by teaching.

Alternatively, you can share with the internet what you have learned. This blog is an example of that. I share topics that I have learned or reflected on in the hopes that others will find value in it like I did.

But it doesn’t have to be complicated. We as a society grow by iterating on each other’s ideas.

Even if your thoughts and ideas don’t feel special, they are worth sharing.

The concept of applied knowledge

I learned about this concept quite recently, and it honestly left me pale. This concept describes what I have been talking about above.

It wasn’t until I learned about this concept that I realized just how much I had been procrastinating.

It refers to the practical use and implementation of your gained knowledge. It’s about going outside the classroom and beyond theoretical understanding.

Try to identify an action you can take. When you are reading or consuming information, and you have a moment of clarity or understanding of a concept.

Cease that moment and make the most of it by pausing and identifying an action you can take.

Use your calendar

Sometimes you might not be able to act immediately. But actually, you can. Take out a calendar and schedule it. That is an action worth taking.

Ride the momentum of inspiration and put it in your calendar. Set a day and time and show up for yourself.

This simple action have helped me many times in avoiding the “someday” or “I should”. How about we start saying “I will” and show up.

Whatever action it is, if you can’t take it this second, schedule it.

Apply it

Let’s practice what you just learned. Don’t go reading another article or open another social platform. Follow these steps:

1. Look through your notes or take that idea that you have been procrastinating on.
2. Reflect on why you have been procrastinating. Are there any limiting beliefs involved?
3. What action can you take to move in the right direction? (big or small)
4. Can you take this action now, or should you schedule it?
5. 4, 3, 2, 1, Go!