Are We Really Making Progress?

I recently came across the phrase “proxy action”. It describes something most of us probably do without realising: choosing an easy action that feels productive while avoiding the more difficult thing that would create genuine progress.

We buy a book about getting fit, clear our emails instead of beginning an important job, or spend so long planning something that we never quite start.

The smaller action isn’t necessarily pointless. Reading, researching and planning can all help. The problem comes when they give us the satisfaction of doing something without actually moving us towards where we want to be.

It made me think about decluttering. I can move things between cupboards, buy another storage box or spend time deciding where everything should live. It feels like progress, but sometimes I have simply rearranged the clutter. The harder action is deciding what I no longer need and letting it go.

Writing can be similar. I can think about a subject, look for the perfect photograph or worry about how to begin. Eventually, though, I have to sit down and write the first sentence. It may not be the right one, but once it is there, I have something to work with.

There is a useful question we can ask ourselves:

If I continue doing this — and only this — will it take me where I want to go?

That doesn’t mean every action has to be big. I am a great believer in baby steps. Clearing one drawer, taking a short walk or writing one paragraph can all be meaningful progress. The difference is that the small step must be part of the journey, not a substitute for it.

Perhaps we don’t need another plan or another conversation. Perhaps we simply need to ask:

What is the next real action?

Then do that.