I’m not going to apologize for this arriving a day later than planned.

One of my pet peeves is when creators imply that I’m paying close enough attention to be personally inconvenienced by their missed schedule. I promise, I am not. And honestly, neither are you.

Also, it’s a holiday weekend, it still feels like Sunday, and — more importantly — something better happened.

Matt and I finally did the thing we’ve been circling for nearly a decade.

A couple cups of coffee, red flannel hash, four poached eggs between us, and an eight-hour, butts-in-chairs kitchen table session where we were so absorbed that my family quietly tiptoed around us. No breaks. No phones. Barely even bathroom trips.

We were in it.

Which is funny, because I was originally going to write this note about motion versus action.

Instead, we accidentally proved the point.

Motion Isn’t the Problem

Motion feels productive. It looks responsible. It masquerades as progress.

Motion is:

• planning your garden design
• buying seeds
• sketching layouts
• shopping the nursery
• Googling plants
• reading posts like this one
• taking classes
• talking about a collaboration for ten years

Motion has value. I make my living doing motion, and teaching people how to do it better. Motion prepares us to act well.

But motion doesn’t change anything.

Action Is the Shift

Action is different. Action is commitment.

Action is:

• putting a shovel in the ground
• planting the seeds
• taking the plants off the driveway and into the soil
• digging the new bed
• hiring help
• sending the email
• starting the thing

James Clear puts it plainly:

“When you’re in motion, you’re planning and strategizing and learning. Those are good things, but they don’t produce a result. Action is what delivers an outcome.”

Action releases pressure. Action clarifies. Action creates momentum.

Motion can feel safe. Action always feels exposed.

Why We Get Stuck

We don’t get stuck because we’re lazy.

We get stuck because:

• we don’t know where to start
• we’re overwhelmed by options
• we want to delay failure

Motion lets us stay in the illusion of forward movement without risking being wrong.

Action removes the illusion.

Proof of Life

Yesterday, Matt and I finally crossed that line.

We’re launching a podcast. (It is tentatively called “Literally, a Rabbit Hole“). It may or may not keep its current name. It will evolve. That part doesn’t matter yet.

What matters is that it exists.

That shift — from circling to committing — feels like oxygen.

And it reminded me how often gardeners, designers, and creative people mistake preparation for progress.

If You’re Stuck in Motion

A few things that reliably help me move from motion to action:

• Change the scene. Clear something out. Rip something up. Make physical space.
• Start badly. Failure is rarely as consequential as we imagine. It’s only a garden. And even when it’s not — it’s still survivable.
• Call a friend. Not for validation. For accountability.

Winter is a natural motion season. Planning has its place.

But at some point, you have to choose a direction and begin.

Action doesn’t require certainty. It requires judgment.

And judgment only sharpens once you’re moving.

image from jamesclear.com

Keywords:

• motion vs action
• creative decision-making
• getting unstuck
• design process
• garden design thinking
• momentum and clarity
• planning vs doing
• creative practice
• leadership through design
• garden design mindset
• design practice
• decision-making in design
• creative paralysis
• thoughtful action