I often find that I dawdle. I think of a great idea and then … never put it in action. I say I will do it “some day”. “When the time is right.” Trouble is, I never quite get around to defining what it means for the time to be right. To combat that, I now remind myself to either do what I said I would do or to come up with a set of well-defined criteria to determine when I’ll do it instead. No more excuses.

I call this the “Nike principle” because of their slogan: Just Do It.

That’s really all that matters. Waiting for the perfect moment to develop a new habit or try a new approach to something is often just a waste of time. When trying to learn something or make a change in your routine, don’t wait for the stars to align. Just do it. If it doesn’t work, refine your approach. Repeat that until you’re happy with what you’ve got. It’s as simple as that.