A Bias for Action: The Mindset That Separates Doers from Dreamers

In a world full of dreamers and doers, be a doer. You might be wondering, what is a doer? A doer is someone who has a bias for action.

Thesis: A bias for action is the #1 differentiator between people who talk and people who build.

What is a bias for action?

A bias for action means taking action, even when you don’t feel that you have all the information. It’s a mindset, a lifestyle, a way of navigating your world. A bias for action calls you to value progress and momentum over rumination and prolonged deliberation. It encourages quick and calculated decisions rather than waiting for perfection or becoming paralyzed by analysis.

Essentially, it is choosing movement over hesitation.

For the first 27 years of my life, I was a dreamer... 

Hello, my name is Sydney, and I was a chronic dreamer. I was the kind of person who would choose dreaming over doing. Growing up as an only child, I leaned toward the introverted side of the personality scale. If you’re anything like me, you might actually prefer spending time alone. My mind is my own oasis, and I find comfort in getting lost in my thoughts. There are pros and cons to this. On one hand, I’ve learned to overcome the fear of being alone (which I can talk about in another post). On the other hand, having so much time with my thoughts means I have a lot of time to think.

People procrastinate in different ways and for different reasons, but we all do it. Some sit and dwell on their ideas endlessly before they eventually talk themselves out of it all together. Personally, I would romanticize my ideas, genuinely believe I was manifesting them into existence, and ultimately not take any action to make them happen. Yep. I was a BIG dreamer.

You can put your intentions out into the Universe all you want, ask God, cross your fingers and hope you’ll get what you want but the reality is, nothing will happen unless you DO SOMETHING!!

I wasted so much of my life in my head when I could have been taking action. This brings me to my next point: How do you spend your days? This is how you spend your life. Take an inventory of your days… do you do things that inspire you, spark curiosity, or take active steps towards your goals. Do you even know your goals? If not, take some time to understand yourself and what you want. If we mindlessly wander through life, we are lost. If we are lost, we don’t know where we are going yet. If you’re here, that’s a great place to start! But start.

If you are someone who knows where they’re headed, then ask yourself, what do your days look like? For me, I was spending my days driving around, getting coffee, coming home, and feeling unproductive and frustrated with myself for not achieving more. You can think, imagine, and visualize achieving your goals all you want, but to achieve it, you must actually* do it.

Maybe you’re already a doer… I’m sure to some type A folks, this post is trivial. But if you’re anything like me, (type Z), then you understand where I’m coming from.

The best thing you can do is structure your days how you would want to live your life if you had achieved your goals. For example, I’ve always wanted to start a blog. When I was driving around aimlessly, was I contemplating ideas or writing? No. Isn’t that silly… I wanted to start a blog yet, was not any taking action towards it. All of this is to say, it’s good to have ideas, but it’s your life’s mission to put them into action. If you have an idea planted in your head, it is because you are meant to take action towards it, or else it wouldn’t be there.

Try saying to yourself, “I have a bias for action” daily, I guarantee you will see your reality shift. This along with, “I do it now” are powerful reminders to your brain that you are a doer.

Why is it important to have a bias for action?

No matter what your dreams and goals are, having a bias for action is beneficial. We all get one chance to live our life in this body, why not make the most of it?

Having good ideas is not unique. I’m sure someone reading this post has thought to themselves, “I should start a blog.” The idea is not special, I just took the time to actually sit down, pull up a blank word document, and type. You can think, imagine, visualize it all you want, but to achieve it, you must actually* do it.

Most people have great ideas, but the difference between the people who succeed and those who don’t, are the ones who put those ideas into action.

Key characteristics that separate the dreamers from the doers:

If you’re a dreamer… there is hope! The most successful people are a combination of both. They were able to take their dreams and turn them into reality. Let’s look at a few examples:

“The most successful individuals often combine both mindsets, using their dreams as inspiration and their doer-like qualities to bring those dreams to fruition.”

Famous dreamers who successfully converted their dreams -> reality.

1.     Walt Disney

2.     J.K. Rowlings

3.     Steve Jobs

What do they all have in common? They had HUGE dreams and were able to turn them into reality.

Walt Disney

A classic dreamer.

He imagined characters, worlds, and stories long before he had the resources to create them.

His dreaming was the fuel, but he needed a team of doers to bring those dreams to life.

 J.K. Rowling

Came up with much of Harry Potter while riding a train alone.

Before she was a successful author, the dream lived mostly in her notebooks and imagination.

Her early phase is a perfect example of a dreamer who held onto an inner world for years.

 Steve Jobs

Known for having big, bold, almost unrealistic dreams.

But unlike many dreamers, he learned how to turn vision into products by partnering with doers and pushing execution.

A strong example of someone who melded dreaming with action.

If you’re anything like me, our roadmap to starting a task looks something like this:

How doers build momentum, even from small steps.

In his famous TedTalk, which has over 60 million views, blogger Tim Urban suggests looking at your life calendar.

If you don’t know what this is, let me explain. Your life calendar is your life visually broken down into weeks and looks something like this:

It helps put into perspective what little time we have on this earth to accomplish our goals! We always say, "I'll do it later." But our time is finite. There is no better time than now!

You’re scared? Do it anyways!

The price we pay for achieving something great, is the anxiety we feel while achieving said goal. For instance, the anxiety you feel before a date, is the price you pay for having a date you are excited for. The anxiety you feel while hearing back about a dream job offer, is the price you pay for securing your dream job. The anxiety you feel while working towards your goals, is the price you pay for achieving them!

Maybe you’re worried about people judging you… Let me remind you: those who criticize you, are doing less than you. If they had something going for them, they wouldn’t have the time to even notice what you’re doing. If people are judging you, it means you’re doing something RIGHT! Good job!

So… How to Build Your Own Bias for Action

Ironically, it’s through practical, actionable steps:

• Set a “move first” rule: when in doubt, take the smallest meaningful step.
• Shrink the first action: make it too small to fear.
• Use time boxes: give yourself 10 minutes to start.
• Ask “What’s the next physical action?”
• Adopt a learning mindset: treat actions as experiments.
• Limit planning time: e.g., 20% planning, 80% doing.

What stops you from being a doer? Sign up to be a free member and join the discussion below!