"I need to be strategic." "I want to do this right." "Let me think about it more."

This was my favorite lie. Because it made me feel smart.

I wasn't avoiding commitment—I was being strategic. I wasn't scared—I was thoughtful. I wasn't half-in—I was calculated.

Garbage.

Here's the difference between strategy and stalling:

Strategy leads to action. You think, then act, then adjust based on results.

Stalling leads to more thinking. You think, then think more, then decide you need more information before you can think properly.

I spent months "strategizing." Made spreadsheets. Created business plans. Researched markets.

At the end of all that strategy, you know what I had? Spreadsheets. Not a business.

The most successful entrepreneurs I know spend way less time strategizing than you'd think. They have a bias toward action. They'd rather make a move and learn from it than think for six more months.

Because here's the truth: You can't strategize your way to success from your desk. Real strategy requires data from action. You can't get data without doing something.

If you've been "being strategic" for months without meaningful action, you're not being strategic. You're using intelligence as a hiding place.

Set a deadline for your thinking. A week. A day. Whatever. Then act.

Strategy without action isn't strategy. It's expensive daydreaming.

Done negotiating.

-Joel