Just Do Something!

My son, learning that every large obstacle can be overcome one pitchfork at a time.

The other day, I was out working in the yard with my kids, immersed in the leaves, weeds, and mulch. It was hot, the work was tedious, and the kids—well, they weren’t exactly overjoyed to be helping. One of them flopped dramatically on the grass and groaned, “Do we have to do this?”

Yes. Yes, we do.

Not because I’m trying to teach them to love yard work (although that’d be a bonus), but because I’m trying to teach them something deeper: when you’re overwhelmed, uninspired, or stuck, the worst thing you can do is nothing.

Just do something.

Movement Over Perfection

It doesn’t have to be the right thing. It doesn’t have to be brilliant or efficient or even successful. It just has to be something. Pick up a rake. Pull one weed. Write one bad paragraph. Send the email. Walk around the block. Sweep the garage. Just move.

We live in a world that often glorifies results and overlooks the messy, meandering, uncertain process that leads there. But forward motion—any forward motion—is what breaks the inertia of stuckness.

Grind Teaches Grit

Yard work is a great teacher. You show up, do a little at a time, and eventually something changes. Maybe it’s not perfect, but it's better. And that’s the whole point. Kids don’t learn perseverance by talking about it; they learn it by pushing through the heat, the bugs, and the “I don’t wannas” and realizing they can.

The same applies to grownups. Depression, burnout, creative blocks—none of them lift because we think our way out. They crack when we take that first imperfect step.

I’ve had days—especially working on big projects—where I stare at a blank piece of paper or screen and feel the weight of “I don’t know where to start.” Those are the days when I hear a voice in my head say, You’ve got to do something. Grab the pencil, sketch a bad idea. Open the file. Make an outline. Plod.

Mistakes Are Better Than Stagnation

We’re often so afraid of doing the wrong thing that we do nothing. But nothing gets us nowhere. Mistakes, on the other hand? Mistakes are gold. They teach. They give you data. They move the plot forward.

Doing something—anything—is how we regain traction. It’s how you shovel out of stuck. And often, it's the tiny, unremarkable action that unlocks the next right move.

Start Somewhere

This isn’t a manifesto against rest or reflection. We all need those. But if you’ve been circling the same thought loop, waiting for motivation to hit, or hoping the right answer will reveal itself from a standstill... maybe it’s time to grab a metaphorical rake.

You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to move the needle.

As Arthur Ashe is attributed as saying “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.”

Just do something.

My daughter, feeling the inertia that comes when one picks up up the shovel.