Question on information vs. action:

Do I actually need more information, or do I simply need to act on the information I already have?

This question comes from James Clear, the best-selling author of Atomic Habits (and, more importantly, an incredibly thoughtful and genuine human).

We live in the golden age of information. The best information is all freely accessible at the touch of a button.

Think about it: With a single Google search or "Hey, Siri" request, you can get immediate access to just about anything.

But all of that information has a downside: It can become a silent excuse for inaction.

We use "information gathering" as a means of delaying action. Because we're doing something, it feels like movement, but it's just procrastination in disguise.

Information threatens to turn us into a rocking horse: Always moving, never going anywhere.

We need to find a balance between information and action. When in doubt, it's safe to assume the balance is found with more action.

As writer Derek Sivers once quipped, "If more information was the answer, then we'd all be billionaires with perfect abs."

Quote on the power of thoughts:

"Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an action and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Take great care of your thoughts, for your thoughts determine your destiny.

(Share this on Twitter!)

Framework for identity and actions:

The Identity-Action Grid

In Atomic Habits, James Clear often talks about the power of identity for driving actions. If you create and believe in an identity, your actions and behaviors will fall in line.

My friend (and executive coach) Eric Partaker developed a simple exercise that can help us establish our core identity and connected actions across each of the important arenas of life.

I like to call it the Identity-Action Grid:

For each arena on the left column, write down the following:

• Identity: Who is the main character that you want to embody in this arena?
• Values: What are the 2-3 words that would describe or guide the actions and behaviors of that main character? For example, if the main character was SuperDad, I might say the values are present, spontaneous, and loving.
• Goals: What is the specific goal of that main character within the next 3-6 months? Avoid the goals being too far out into the future. Keep them short (quarterly, or even monthly).
• Daily #1s: What single action can this main character do today (and every single day) that will get them closer to that goal?

I have found the Identity-Action Grid to be an incredibly useful tool. It takes 5-10 minutes to complete, but has a lasting impact (particularly if you keep it on your desk or in view).

Try it and let me know what you think!

Tweet on deconstructing the why:

Three great questions to ask yourself regularly.

The "why" embedded in each question is the most important (and most commonly overlooked) part.

Once you deconstruct the WHY, you can make improvements to the WHAT, WHO, and HOW.

Article on the multiple career track:

​Why You Should Have (At Least) Two Careers​

Interesting Harvard Business Review article that makes the case for having multiple careers.

The basic contention is that you shouldn't have to choose between working a single, unfulfilling career and taking a big, risky leap into the unknown—you can do both and make it work.

As someone who has pursued a multi-career path, I'm somewhat biased in my support of this approach, but objectively, I do think it's worth considering how you can find meaningful work that lights you up in different ways.

This is probably something to think about as you are further along in your career (i.e. focus first, diversify later).

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