Think Less, Talk Less — Do More (the not-so-secret sauce)
As I get older smarter, I’ve realized the freaking value of actually taking action on my goals and ideas. I spent a lot of years talking, and thinking, which brought me no closer to my dreams.
Go figure — nothing groundbreaking here. You know that imperfect action > perfect inaction. We just forget sometimes.
Only talking or thinking about doing something creates nothing and actually turns into stress and anxiety.
And stress? Anxiety? Freaking lame. One should be always disproportionately stoked on life.
So now, I think less, talk less and just do more. Again, groundbreaking right?
Alright, let’s do this!
Table of Contents Show
What Does “Doing More” Really Mean?
Doing more than you say or think is taking actions and building habits that bring you closer to your goals — turning intangible ideas into tangible reality.
Doing more than you say also helps with oversharing or truth embellishment.
Letting actions speak for themselves is the sweetest strategy.
It hits differently and creates a sense of pride and confidence — much more than just talking or thinking about starting something. Because eventually, people will catch on and stop listening.
Explore more:
➤ The ‘Do Something’ Principle
Why Should I?
Build trust and credibility
It’s personal growth
Less anxiety about unfinished tasks or ideas
Inspire others to do more
Get better at decisions
Become more productive and focused
Build new habits
Reach your goals
Feel happier
Become more confident
Explore more:
➤ How to Start Something New
How to Think Less, Talk Less + Do More (8 tips)
1. Don’t Wait to Share
People love stories. And sharing your process (the struggles, the journey, the ups and downs) is exactly that — a story.
So if you’re creating something, create it in public. Share your Ws — share your Ls. Just don’t wait for things to be “perfect” before letting people know what you’re doing.
This is how you build a creative brand and grow (as a human or online).
2. Focus On Milestones (not destinations)
Talking less and doing more doesn’t mean you need to stay completely private.
While everyone love’s a good mystery, it’s good to share your important moments and plans, especially with close friends and family who will support you and appreciate being in the loop.
One way I like to balance things (between talking too much or not at all) is to just share my milestones.
Milestones are key checkpoints that represent important parts of the journey to your goals. They’re not ultimate destinations, but still important, exciting and represent your actions.
So share milestones and your progress along the way – people want to hear about these!
3. Have Projects, Not Goals
Projects are things you’re actively working on. Goals are just plans.
This means changing your speech from “I want to…” or “I plan on…” to “I am…”. And it hits totally different.
When you have projects, it’s easier to make your plans sound more active and tangible – even if you don’t end up finishing them or if they flop.
For example, I always have creative travel projects while staying overseas.
These are things I’m actively working on for my personal brand and are easier to share. So right now, I am writing new articles on travel and Japan while recording new song inspired by these adventures.
I’m far from finished, but it’s still me actively doing more than I say or think. Because saying and thinking are inactive, passive activities.
So what are your projects?
Explore more:
➤ Approach Yearly Goals Like An Artist
4. Master Patience
Patience is a superpower.
Everything is on-demand and short-form. We’re goldfish. When I get excited about an idea, the honeymoon phases fizzles quickly. Usually because results and signals (that the idea is “good”) take a while to manifest.
But patience keeps me from giving up and continuing to take action.
Patience means:
Deleting expectations
Setting realistic timelines
Practicing present moment awareness
Not rushing to achieve some result
Patience is a more sustainable way to build. It just takes some practice and intention.
Personally, I like to meditate, which helps calm the mind and stay present.
Explore more:
➤ Have Slow Expectations
5. Stop Seeking External Validation
One reason for overthinking or talking more than taking action is feeling a need for validation.
It’s hard to jump into the unknown and pursue a new idea. It takes confidence, focus and mindset to believe in yourself and your thing.
So naturally, we crave some external validation — and don’t get me wrong, sometimes it’s really nice! But it’s never good if you start relying on it for your happiness or motivation. That’s a red flag.
Practice being stoked on yourself and your stuff — especially when you have no tangible results to show. I learned this practice with my music and art. I pour my heart and soul into a project, and nobody cares. It stings.
But I don’t need it (although it still feels good). But I love my craft and work enough that I don’t need someone else to tell me.
My best advice is to become aware and shine a light on validation seeking.
Explore more:
➤ Avoiding the Fallacy of Approval
6. Build New Habits
The key to taking more action is building new habits (not quitting old ones).
A habit is a regular routine or repeatable behavior that’s almost subconscious. Breaking old habits is hard, so I like to focus on building new ones instead.
This means having a clear goal (i.e., what thing you want to take more action on) and slowly adopting new behaviors over time.
Here are some things that help me:
Create systems
Find your keystone habit
Stack the deck in your favor
Find your ideal time management style for better productivity
Habits don’t form overnight, so it’s good to stay patient and build them little by little over time.
Eventually, with enough consistency, new habits can replace old ones.
Explore more:
➤ Discipline + Consistency (the guide)
7. Practice Modesty / Quiet Confidence
Modesty looks good. Plus, it’s foundational for thinking less, talking less and doing more.
It’s a form of quiet confidence, where your sense of self assuredness is stronger than your need for validation or results.
Practicing modesty helps me stay carefree and less full of myself. It helps me take more consistent action. Even though you may be doing something incredible, humility is powerful.
But remember to not have too much modesty either! As with most things, balance is key.
8. Do More Hard or Uncomfortable Things
When you go to the extreme, your original conundrum feels less…conundrum-y.
For example, when I first started guitar, I learned on my mom’s old acoustic from when she was a kid. It only had four (rusty) strings and barely stayed in tune.
It was hard to play. And uncomfortable. But that’s what I used to learn on.
So when I finally bought a new guitar, I was suddenly ten times better at playing.
What happened?
I played in the extreme, so when I reset to a normal state, everything felt easier. It’s the same idea for learning how to take more action with your goals.
By doing more hard or uncomfortable things, the discomfort of taking more action suddenly feels less discomforting.
So here are a few of my favorite difficult (but still fun) things to do:
Learn a new language
Do more embarrassing stuff (like singing karaoke)
Explore more:
➤ Get Out of Your Dang Comfort Zone
Later ✌️
Doing more and thinking or talking less makes you look more confident and leads to a more carefree lifestyle.
It comes down to staying aware of bad habits and building new ones.
My favorite moves include shifting focus to milestones (over macro goals), practicing patience and doing more hard or uncomfortable things (making it easier to actually start and take action on things).
So stay the course and stay low-key. Share bits and pieces (or the big news), but let your results and actions speak for themselves.
It’s more chill this way.
Want More? Nice. Here’s More.
