Lower the Bar, Raise the Results: A Real Talk on Getting Things Done
Getting Unstuck Isn’t About Doing More — It’s About Doing Less
The truth is… I’ve been stuck. 😓
Not for lack of ideas - those come easily. I was stuck in the doing. Specifically, in marketing my voiceover (VO) business on LinkedIn.
So I did what I often do when I need to work through something: I recorded a video, talking out loud about how I planned to get unstuck — both in my PhD and in my VO work.
I leveraged ChatGPT/AI to help me by asking it to help me come up with a marketing strategy for LinkedIn because I thought I should be able to find a lot of my ideal clients there (Creative Directors, Marketing Leads). On that day, that I recorded the video talking about getting unstuck I recorded videos I planned to upload to linkedin as part of my marketing campaign… It still needed a bit of editing but otherwise it should have been good to go… But that’s where things fell apart.
I realised quickly, implementation is my problem, and maybe even deeper, the confidence to implement + not prioritising it, is the formula for my problem. I have no problem planning but implementation has been an issue. Why? The usual stuff
What if I don’t appear professional enough for LinkedIn?
I need time to edit the video.
I forgot to create the form viewers were supposed to fill out after watching.
It all added up to a quiet delay — not quite quitting, but definitely not moving forward.
Inspiration from an Unlikely Place
Then I remembered a friend of mine who has been very prolific in posting written stories on facebook and has gained a large following as a result. Video isn’t his lane, but his storytelling game through written posts is next level! He’s very consistent too.
That reminded me of a principle I return to whenever I feel stuck:
Lower the bar. Ask: What would this look like if it were easy? What’s the simplest action I can take to make this happen or what is the easiest way I can achieve the goal?
So on a warm June evening when I couldn’t sleep because it was too hot, I opened up my laptop and decided to implement. First I had to iron out a few things:
How do I set the bar low? By deciding not to do video but instead do text and warm up to video eventually.
Easiest way to achieve the goal?
Skip the videos for now.
Create a google form with the questions I want people interested to answer, based on questions I generated using ChatGPT.
Create the text posts using the transcript of the videos I recorded but let AI help me jazz up the text post with a good hook, succinct storytelling and a clear call to action.
Schedule the posts and don’t think too much about it.
So that’s what I did.
ChatGPT also recommended that I make myself available for 1 hour after posting to respond to comments. So I’ll do just that. Let me know if you want to know how it went.
I feel proud of myself for accomplishing this… even if it was late, sweaty, and text-based instead of video.
Here's what I learned from the process
Lower the bar - When you’re procrastinating or just not getting something done, reduce/remove the barriers to getting it done and get it done the simplest and easiest way possible. It doesn’t mean lowering the standard. It means removing friction and giving yourself permission to start.
AI is a momentum key - It gave me clarity, speed, and direction.
Most people don’t need better ideas — they need to implement.
Brute-force action beats perfect plans that never leave the draft folder. Implementation is the thing that sets you apart from all the dreamers and want-preneurs.
“Doing” builds confidence, not the other way around. I didn’t wait to feel confident — I acted first, and now I’m proud. That reversal is a golden insight for fellow creatives.
Imperfect consistency beats perfect delay.
Get yourself friends and connections that inspire you! My friend’s example was indispensible. He didn’t do video. He just did something, consistently and it worked for him.
Got tips for getting unstuck? Or ways you’ve simplified your process to move forward? 🙏 Drop them below — I want to learn from you.