For one who is deeply devoted to getting things done, this comic hit the mark. Maybe my devotion to “done” was the very thing that sharpened the point- sometimes not doing something is exactly the right thing to do. Just because you think it, doesn’t mean you have to do it. Waiting to see how things play out is can be the smart choice.
The trick is figuring out the right things not to do. You might not be as lucky as Wally. When the pointy-haired boss tells you to do something, it’s probably a good idea to do it or persuasively disavow him of the notion that it needs to be done.
One of my muses is a devoted doer. One is a devoted “let it perk-er”. Even the doer admits that sometimes the effort is for naught but more often, doing is worthwhile. And the perk-er is quite content to let foolish or unimportant things sink to the bottom of the pile and be swept away in an occasional fit of tidying. Dire consequences seldom manifest when you thoughtfully decide what not to do. For the gambler, this risk is worth taking.
I'm not much of a gambler.
Forty printed pages, and one day later… A small, inconsequential example of when waiting would have been better. In a stew to get all the tax documents to the accountant, I logged in and printed a many-paged 1099 that had not arrived in the mail with the others. Had I waited one more day, all that hurried copying would have been unnecessary. Getting this thing done was a poor choice.
Doing or not doing? Make a decision. Both have consequences that dithering won't eliminate. Decide. Then live with the consequences without too much kvetching.
“Focus is often a matter of deciding what things you’re not going to do.” – John Carmack