For example, some people fall into excessive planning when they are afraid of stepping out. They don't feel ready, legitimate or fully prepared to embrace their new venture publicly. This is the "let me just read one more book" person, always on the verge of being ready.

What's the problem?! Is it you?

Possibly. Planning is a favorite self-sabotage technique of many a would-be successfully self-employed person.

However, it may be that you are using the right tool in the wrong way.

But first, a distinction:

There is a difference between ACTIVITY and ACTION.

Planning is an activity. It makes you feel like you have done something. Activity is the shallow stuff. Reorganizing your files. Making new folders. Cleaning your closet. Reorganizing your inventory. Reading e-mails and surfing (Yeah, I know, it's "research".).

It isn't that activities of this nature are bad, but it is important to remember these are not foundation setting ACTIONS. Actions are meaty. They get you somewhere. They represent actual movement, integrated, results oriented, "you are now in a different place on the path" movement.

It's important to understand this distinction so you don't ask your new planning software or system to do for you what it cannot. And what it will do for YOU may be different than what it will do for ME because we may have different organizational needs. We may be using our planning efforts to achieve different goals.

For example, some people fall into excessive planning when they are afraid of stepping out. They don't feel ready, legitimate or fully prepared to embrace their new venture publicly. This is the "let me just read one more book" person, always on the verge of being ready.

However, it may be that you are using the right tool in the wrong way.

But first, a distinction:

There is a difference between ACTIVITY and ACTION.

Planning is an activity. It makes you feel like you have done something. Activity is the shallow stuff. Reorganizing your files. Making new folders. Cleaning your closet. Reorganizing your inventory. Reading e-mails and surfing (Yeah, I know, it's "research".).

It isn't that activities of this nature are bad, but it is important to remember these are not foundation setting ACTIONS. Actions are meaty. They get you somewhere. They represent actual movement, integrated, results oriented, "you are now in a different place on the path" movement.

It's important to understand this distinction so you don't ask your new planning software or system to do for you what it cannot. And what it will do for YOU may be different than what it will do for ME because we may have different organizational needs. We may be using our planning efforts to achieve different goals.

For example, some people fall into excessive planning when they are afraid of stepping out. They don't feel ready, legitimate or fully prepared to embrace their new venture publicly. This is the "let me just read one more book" person, always on the verge of being ready.

It isn't that activities of this nature are bad, but it is important to remember these are not foundation setting ACTIONS. Actions are meaty. They get you somewhere. They represent actual movement, integrated, results oriented, "you are now in a different place on the path" movement.

It's important to understand this distinction so you don't ask your new planning software or system to do for you what it cannot. And what it will do for YOU may be different than what it will do for ME because we may have different organizational needs. We may be using our planning efforts to achieve different goals.

For example, some people fall into excessive planning when they are afraid of stepping out. They don't feel ready, legitimate or fully prepared to embrace their new venture publicly. This is the "let me just read one more book" person, always on the verge of being ready.

It's important to understand this distinction so you don't ask your new planning software or system to do for you what it cannot. And what it will do for YOU may be different than what it will do for ME because we may have different organizational needs. We may be using our planning efforts to achieve different goals.

For example, some people fall into excessive planning when they are afraid of stepping out. They don't feel ready, legitimate or fully prepared to embrace their new venture publicly. This is the "let me just read one more book" person, always on the verge of being ready.

For example, some people fall into excessive planning when they are afraid of stepping out. They don't feel ready, legitimate or fully prepared to embrace their new venture publicly. This is the "let me just read one more book" person, always on the verge of being ready.

Some people think that thinking IS doing. They also confuse things like revenue and profit. There is a gap between the internal picture and the external reality and often it's a blind spot. This is one place where coaches are particularly effective resources.

Some people make goals out of fear. I used to do that. Oh, Andy has a blog? I'd better get one! Andrea has a book? I'd better start writing! Oh, Alice told me I need to read this book? Must get over to Amazon. Micheal is teaching classes? Guess I should add that to my offerings, too. What's this? No way can I make a living only doing 1:1 coaching? (Even though I have been for 6 years!). Oh no! I have to make a bunch of passive revenue streams! I was basically taking every good idea that I saw,and accepting every prediction for my business by people who didn't know me as true and adding to my own list because I thought I had to model my success after every one else. Coaches are notorious for this, but I see other self-employed people doing the same thing. In fact, Americans in general can be prone to this. Oh, Oprah said I need to do these 10 things for a happy life? Put 'em on the list. And, summer is coming...let me get those thinner thighs while I'm at it.

This is YOUR list, first and foremost. What do YOU want out of life? How are the goals you are setting and the plans you are making relating to your values? Are you setting