The productivity and emotional benefits of separating execution from planning

Planning and execution are substantially distinct activities. Commingling them reduces the effectiveness of both while increasing the resources required to do either. Planning and execution are completely different cognitive and emotional states.¹ Planning is when you articulate potential through design. Execution is when you actualize potential through action. Planning is infinite, while execution consists of discrete tasks. Planning takes intense courage, concentration, and hope, while execution requires the different kind of intensity of plodding through things until they are complete. Planning is open-ended, but execution is focused. Planning is proactive, but execution is reactive. Planning is free-form, but execution is organized. Planning is driven by inspiration, but execution is driven by discipline. Planning is imaginative, but execution is closed-minded. Planning is whispy, and execution is gritty.

One common example of mixing planning and execution is scrolling through social media. No one scrolls through social media to achieve a goal. You browse social media because you don’t know what is there, and then you get worked up about one thing or another as doing so were central to your prior purpose. You scroll through social media to find purpose, not to fulfill it. That will never make you feel as good as an intentional act that specifically advances your long-term joy more than anything else. A much more effective use of downtime would be to read a book.