Paralysis By Analysis

Paralysis by analysis is a term that in its simplest definition means you spend so much time analyzing the situation to determine how best to make a decision that a decision never actually gets made. It's common, and we all struggle with it in some area of our lives.

Progress cannot be made until you can take a decisive action. As long as there are still variables you can't take action. That's why it is often pushed that we set small, short-term goals that will eventually lead us to accomplishing our long-term goals.

Row and I created our List of 10 Things; these are long term goals. Even though a year is just a drop in the bucket in a lifetime, our 10 goals can be broken down to even smaller goals. Until we break these down into smaller, decisive actions, we still will not make progress.

For instance, I want to paint my house this year. That sounds easy. But let's look at some of the variables.

• Will I paint it myself, or hire it out?
• What color will I paint it?
• What brand of paint should I use?
• How much paint will I need?
• How much money will it cost?
• What tools do I need to get first?
• What time of year should I start?
• Will I need help?

I could spend a lot of time analyzing these questions and never actually make a decision or take a step in the direction of progress. Each of these questions then needs to be broken down into its variables. These variables should be fewer and easier to decide a coarse of action in a timely manner. But as long as there is still a question to be answered or a decision to make, you will not get any closer to accomplishing your goal. That is paralysis by analysis.