The Generalist's Dilemma: Overcoming Procrastination & Inaction with Grit

You know the feeling. The project sits there, perfectly planned in your head. You've researched, outlined, and maybe even created a detailed timeline. But somehow, weeks pass, and nothing concrete has happened. You're a creative generalist by nature. You've accomplished plenty in your life, and want to do so much more still. Yet here you are, stuck in the gap between intention and action again, quitting a project in mid-air while unable to start the new one.

This is the generalist's dilemma, and it's particularly painful for multi-passionate professionals who see endless possibilities but struggle to bring them to life - or keep them going without straying.

When "Just Do It" Isn't Enough

The standard productivity advice assumes that your problem is either a lack of motivation or a lack of clarity. "Just start," they say. "Break it into smaller steps." But you already know what needs doing. You've broken it down. You've set the deadlines. The issue isn't a lack of knowledge, it's the mysterious desire to keep researching instead of building, planning instead of launching, and perfecting instead of sharing.

For creative professionals with multiple interests, this stuck feeling often comes from a deeper place. You see connections others miss. You understand the complexity of what you're trying to create. You know it could be better, more integrated, more thoughtful. This awareness becomes both your gift and your trap. Because now you've created a mountain in your head, and you want to climb it in one go.

The Perfectionism-Procrastination Loop

Here's what really happens in that space between intention and action: perfectionism disguises itself as preparation. You tell yourself you need one more course, one more research phase, one more week to "get it right." But creative generalist perfectionism isn't about standards; it's really about fear. Fear that your work won't match your vision. Fear that others won't understand your unique perspective. Fear that you'll be judged for trying something that doesn't fit neatly into existing categories. Fear that it will be too much work - like getting on top of a mountain in one step.

The irony is that your many interests and high standards, the very things that make your work unique and different, become the blocks that keep you from creating your work.

Grit vs. Grinding

This is where grit comes in, but not the "grind harder" version that leads to burnout. True grit isn't about forcing yourself through misery. It's about developing the psychological flexibility to act despite uncertainty, to move forward with incomplete information, and to trust that iteration beats ideation.

Psychologist Angela Duckworth defines grit as "passion and perseverance for long-term goals." When you're stuck in inaction, you've usually lost touch with why this project matters to you. You're focused on how it might be received rather than why it needs to exist.

The path out of multi-passionate overwhelm starts with reconnecting to your why, not the logical business case, but the emotional pull that made you care about this idea in the first place.

The Minimum Viable Action

Instead of asking "How do I make this perfect?" start asking "What's the smallest action that would make this real?"

This isn't about lowering your standards. It's about understanding that excellence emerges through iteration, not through extended planning phases. You must embrace being agile in creating. Your first attempt doesn't need to be your final piece of art or project, it needs to be your first proof of concept.

For one creative entrepreneur I worked with, this meant publishing a single blog post instead of waiting to launch a complete content platform. For another generalist, it meant having one conversation with a potential customer instead of building an entire market research plan. In each case, that minimum viable action broke the spell of perfectionism and created momentum.

The Power of "Good Enough to Share"

Creative generalists often struggle with what researchers call "analysis paralysis," the inability to make decisions when faced with multiple good options. You see so many ways your project could evolve that you delay starting until you can pursue all of them simultaneously.

The antidote is embracing "good enough to share." This doesn't mean accepting mediocrity, it means understanding that shared imperfection beats private perfection every time. When you share early versions of your work, you get real feedback that's infinitely more valuable than your inner critic speculating about how it might be received.

Modern tools, including AI productivity tools, can help bridge this gap between vision and execution, allowing you to test ideas quickly and iterate based on real feedback rather than imagined criticism. Whether it's using simple automation to validate market interest or leveraging AI tools for creative professionals to help with initial content creation, technology can help you move from thinking to doing with less friction.

Building Your Action Muscle

Like any skill, taking action despite uncertainty gets easier with practice. Start with low-stakes experiments. Choose projects where failure is informative rather than catastrophic. Give yourself permission to be a beginner again.

Set what I call "learning deadlines" instead of perfection deadlines. Instead of "Launch the perfect course by December," try "Get feedback from 10 people on my course outline by October 15." The first creates pressure to be perfect. The second creates momentum toward improvement.

This approach is particularly effective for portfolio career development, where you're building multiple income streams that need to work together harmoniously rather than perfectly from day one.

The Compound Effect of Small Actions

Here's what happens when you choose action over analysis: each small step gives you information you couldn't have discovered through planning alone.

More importantly, you start building evidence that you can follow through on your ideas. This creates an upward spiral: the more you act, the more confident you become in your ability to act, which makes future action easier. This is how creative generalist success stories are built: one imperfect action at a time.

Moving Forward

The projects sitting in your "someday" pile aren't just abandoned ideas, they're future opportunities waiting for you to develop the courage to be imperfect in public. Your unique perspective and multi-disciplinary thinking are exactly what the world needs, but only if you're willing to share them before they feel finished.

Whether you're building a portfolio career, developing multiple income streams, or simply trying to turn your passions into something meaningful, the gap between intention and action closes not through better planning, but through practiced courage. Start where you are, with what you have, imperfectly but consistently.

Your ideas deserve to exist in the world, not just in your mind.

Struggling to move from intention to action on your creative projects?

I provide career coaching for creative generalists to break through perfectionism and build sustainable momentum toward their biggest goals.

If you're a multi-passionate professional ready to stop planning and start creating, let's talk about how one-on-one coaching can help you bridge that gap.

Book your free session

Shift Shock and How to Avoid It

Have you ever had this experience: you work so hard to get a new job, maybe even shift careers, and then the minute you’re in your new role, you regret it so completely that you want to run away? Or throw up right where you are… Whatever you feel, it’s so intense that you are left in this catatonic state.

Well, that’s “shift shock.”

According to this article by The Muse, 72% of workers have experienced shift shock. Part of the issue is that we have built up this idea that the grass is greener on the other side of this role or career, and then we feel either a wee bit let down once we get there, or overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity of it. 

There is a lot to be said about the comfort of our old roles. While we may have not enjoyed them so much and there was a reason we wanted to switch careers, we were comfortable in them - both the everyday tasks and the complaining about how we wanted more or something different. Then suddenly you have the role you wanted and everything is new. We don’t know what tasks to get done first, how to navigate the new social scenarios, and what kind of clothes to wear to work every day (especially true if you work from home). 

The darker side of shift shock is when you start a new job and realize your employers have lied about, or didn’t explain, the expectations they have for your role, which leads you to accept the position under the wrong precepts. This is even harder when you are switching to a remote role where conveying expectations is entirely dependent on an interviewer who is not used to the virtual reality you’re entering into. Company culture is also difficult to discern prior to starting when the role is completely online, making shift shock even more apparent and uncomfortable.  

So now that we know what shift shock is - and how common it is - the question becomes, how the heck do we avoid it?

1. State your expectations. When you go for your interview, or start your first day, it is important that you are very clear about your expectations of this role. That means you lay out the exact responsibilities you believe you will have, what your working hours will be like, and describe your work-from-home policy (yes, that’s right, you’re allowed to define how you want to work!) to the interviewer/onboarder so that they can clarify if it fits with theirs. If everyone is starting on the same page, there will be less shift shock.

2. Ask about employee retention. A lot of what creates a great company culture is how the company tries to retain its employees. What do they do that helps their employees? How do they build trust with their employees? Ask those questions and make sure you like the answers. If you don’t, it’s probably going to be harder to adjust to the role. 

3. Meet other employees on LinkedIn. Whether you’re in the interview process or it's your first week, getting information from fellow employees is incredibly important. Networking and reaching out to them on LinkedIn is one way to learn about the company culture and what the company expects of them. If you find out that you are salaried for a 40-hour week, but they expect you to work before and after work, and on the weekends, without overtime, and that doesn’t align with what you want out of the role (or with how life should be), you can jump ship right there.

Don’t be afraid to leave. If you find out that the company misled you about their expectations, it’s okay to leave. While you might have left your prior job, you can still create an exit strategy for this one. I know we are all used to the notion that we must keep a job for at least a year to make our resumes look better, but the reality is, having good mental health is more important. 

Moreover, if you think the shift shock is simply a byproduct of your own expectations not being met, but you know in your gut it will get better as soon as you're comfortable, then just work on getting comfortable. The steps above will still be beneficial - especially if you are trying to meet your co-workers and get to know them. 

Remember, it’s totally normal to feel shift shock. You’ve just campaigned your way out of something you’re familiar with for something new. It’s like being a kindergartner on their first day. You’ve heard so much about this cool place called school and all the things you will experience. You’re excited and ready to start, but then on the first day, you cry at the classroom door because it’s all so overwhelming. Within two weeks, you’re feeling better and love your teacher and classmates. 

Give it some time, but then again, don’t be afraid to switch again if you really know in your heart of hearts you’re not where you want to be. Because you know what, you’re allowed to do that.

Worried about shift shock?

The idea of shift shock can be intimidating - probably more intimidating than actually shifting roles is to you. But not only is it a completely normal feeling, there are things you can do to avoid it.

I help my clients identify the roles they would like to try out to build the lives they want. Part of this is getting clear on the type of company they want to work for. When they enter the interviewing stage, we walk through all the questions they should ask so that they can avoid shift shock when they get the role. If you’re ready to start, I can help!

Schedule your free session!