Two approaches to getting started
And why one of them might be holding you back
This is the second time I’ve left London.
The first time, I moved to Johannesburg with the big dream of settling down and making South Africa my forever home. I was so convinced by it, that I went so far as to buy an apartment, hire an interior designer, and map out the look and feel of every single room.
A couple of days before I even landed in Joburg, my designer did what she called the install. She moved in all the furniture and arranged everything according to our detailed plans. She even put crisp sheets on the beds, plates and glasses in the cupboards, and turned on the fridge.
This time, when I moved here to Dubai, I did the opposite.
The only thing I had ready when I moved into my apartment was a bed.
After a couple of days I bought curtains, and then nightstands, and eventually a rug to go underneath them. A month later I got a sofa. After a visit to an art fair, six months later I hung my first pieces of art. It’s been two years now, and I’m still on the hunt for the perfect balcony chairs.
These two completely different ways of approaching change are the perfect examples for me of the ‘architect vs archeologist’ model I learned about recently.
When I moved to Joburg I was in full architect mode.
Architects approach things by:
Creating a detailed plan before breaking ground on anything
Wanting to have a perfect blueprint and knowing exactly what you’re going to build before you build it
Focusing on the goal and the outcome
This approach is great when you already have a very clear idea about what you want. The assignment is understood and your Pinterest mood board is stacked.
However because a lot of us are recovering perfectionists, (or recovering from eldest daughter syndrome), we can end up unwittingly using the architect’s approach to procrastinate on taking action.
We don’t want to get started without being able to guarantee an outcome or success, so we over plan, over think, over analyse.
The result? Under-acting.
If you’re feeling conflicted or are still unsure whether something you’re interested in is right for you, I suggest taking the archeologist approach instead.
Archeologists:
Focus on the process of discovery and iteration rather than on the goal
Don’t have a detailed plan - they use their curiosity, intuition and previous experience to decide where they might dig up something good
They analyse what they find, and when they do find something good, they keep going, dig deeper, and invest more resources.
It’s like a treasure hunt where unearthing clues leads you to your next clue. After a few clues, you start to see patterns emerging and you’re able to start connecting the dots of your discoveries. You can also think of this as the f**k around and find out model where the only way you find out, is by taking action.
Last week I explained that this was how I became a coach. By approaching it like an archaeologist, just like my move to Dubai. But now that I have a clear sense that this is the path I’m pursuing and have made the leap, I’ve shifted more into the architect mode. My archeologist discoveries became the blueprints for my programs and ways of working now.
So much so in fact that I mapped out the patterns that I noticed on my journey, as well as those of my clients and friends and family around me as they navigated these kinds of transitions. I developed these insights into a structured framework that I call The Possibility Pattern, because I love that as you move through the stages you’re increasing what’s possible and available for you.
This framework underpins all the work I do with clients and is why I called this newsletter, and my upcoming podcast ‘The Possibility Pattern’. The first season is all about the journey through each of the stages, with practical guidance to help guide you from stage to stage.
I’ll tell you more about it soon, but we’re just a few weeks away!
Journal Prompts
Where is trying to be an architect holding you back from getting started?
If you were to approach getting started as an archaeologist instead, what would be your first dig?
What next smallest step can you take by the end of today to break ground?