When Your "Research" Becomes Procrastination in Disguise
Why Every "Next Best Thing" Deserves a Second Thought
I had $297 worth of AI copywriting tools sitting in my cart last month.
Each was promising to improve my workflow. Write my articles while I slept. Generate social posts that would attract new readers. Transform my scattered thoughts into cohesive content.
The only problem? My best-performing articles come from the messy, unscalable stuff—the random thoughts I try to get out of my head.
Each promised magic. Faster output. Smarter results. All the bells and whistles.
I spent three hours reading reviews, watching demos, and comparing features designed to streamline my entire writing process. My brain buzzed with possibility. My excitement built with every feature I discovered. What if one of these gave me an added edge?
Something in me hesitated. I looked at the kind of work I actually create—messy first drafts, ideas sparked by so many before me, voice memos taken while riding or doing cardio.
None of those things is scalable. Or templated. Or could be done without my input.
I emptied my cart and moved on.
The Lies We Tell Ourselves
You’ve probably heard some version of this advice: “Good business owners stay plugged in”. They listen to popular podcasts, follow industry leaders, and invest in tools that give them a competitive edge.
It sounds so responsible. And smart.
But in practice? It creates chaos under everything. A sense that you’re always behind, no matter how much you consume or try to catch up.
Building unrealistic steps for the conversion funnel. Signing up for the “best” time-saving productivity system. Bookmarking the YouTube influencers who are crushing it.
Before long, your instincts get buried under a pile of other people's methods.
It’s the kind of pressure that doesn’t just drain your energy—it hijacks your instincts. Instead of feeling focused, you feel reactive. Scattered. Scrambling to keep pace with a game no one seems to be winning.
The most dangerous business advice I ever followed was "always be learning." Because constant learning became my excuse to avoid doing the actual work that I already knew how to do.
The Day I Realized I Was Sabotaging Myself
Ten years ago, I joined a beta program for a project management tool that promised to “revolutionize how solo business owners organize their workflows.”
Why? Because someone with 350K followers called it a "game-changer," and well, with that many followers, they must know something.
I spent a weekend setting it up. Created sections for my three main projects. Color-coded my tasks. Built automated workflows that would trigger when I moved items from one status to the next.
It was beautiful. Sophisticated.
There was just one problem: I had two leads in the pipeline and one project underway. I could have tracked them on a spreadsheet.
Instead of spending that time following up with those two leads or finding more projects, I was working on improving someone else's system and product.
That's when it hit me. I wasn't solving my business problem. I was procrastinating on the real work—the conversations, the proposals, the uncomfortable follow-ups that actually grow a business.
I dropped out on Monday.
The Filter Test That Changed Everything
Now I use what I call the "In-the-Weeds Check” for every new tool, system, or strategy that is on my radar.
It’s simple: Would I reach for this on a random Monday when I’m just trying to get work done?
Not when I’m feeling motivated and in the zone. Not when I’m inspired by someone else who’s crushing it. Just a regular old Monday morning when I have a week of deadlines to meet and clients to help.
If the answer is no, out it goes.
The test has saved me from:
A client onboarding system with 15 steps that would completely overwhelm my clients (who want to pay me and get started)
A content calendar that plans and schedules six months ahead (my best stuff comes from the results of things I did last week)
A $99/month membership with a 50-lesson course and as many different templates (who has time to sort through those templates after that course)
What I Do Instead of Chasing The Trends
Here’s what I live by now:
1. Does this simplify or complicate? If I need an in-depth tutorial to understand it, it's probably more complex than my actual problem requires.
2. Will I still use this in three months? Most tools get abandoned when the initial motivation wears off. I look at what I have and how I can make it work better.
3. Does it fit how I naturally work? I'm all for a good system and strategic thinking, but I know the difference between tools that support my planning and tools that become projects themselves.
4. Am I solving a real problem or avoiding real work? Sometimes the tool isn't the issue. Sometimes I just don't want to have the difficult conversation or face the uncomfortable decision.
If something doesn't pass all four questions, it doesn't belong in my business.
The Unexpected Impact
Here's what happened when I stopped trying to keep up with every new strategy and started trusting my instincts:
Business Decisions: I stopped second-guessing my approach based on what others were doing and started leaning into my strengths.
Client Relationships: Without the distraction of constantly tweaking my systems, I could focus on delivering results that mattered.
Personal Wellbeing: I wasn't constantly learning new methods. I was getting better at the methods I'd already chosen, and my energy soared.
The truth? Limiting inputs increased my momentum. When I stopped consuming every piece of business information, I started trusting my judgment again.
Overcoming Resistance to Change
The hardest part? Letting go of the idea that more input equals smarter action.
Conventional wisdom suggests that the more informed you are, the better your decisions will be.
But information overload isn’t clarity. It’s paralysis dressed up as productivity.
Your Filter Practice Starts Here
Look at your bookmarks folder. Your list of subscriptions. The apps on your phone.
How many of these tools would pass the In-the-Weeds Check?
Which ones are you keeping "just in case" but never actually use?
What are you learning about that you're never going to implement?
Your instincts aren't wrong or outdated. They're just being drowned out by everyone else's noise.
The path forward isn't about finding better tools or smarter strategies; it's about finding the right ones. It's about trusting what you already know and protecting that knowing from the constant stream of other people's solutions.
Start there. Let everything else be background noise.