Getting Unstuck: Why We Start With a Sketch

We all agree: we need a desk.

Everyone nods. The goal is clear. A desk must be built.

So I ask, “What size? What color? Where’s it going?”

And someone says:

“Hold on — we don’t have the right screws.”

Then another:

“Also, the screws are in six bins across three storage closets, and we need to sort them all first.”

A third chimes in:

“We should double-check that no one’s allergic to walnut.”

Meanwhile, we’re still standing in an empty room.

🛠️ The Planning Trap

This isn't about desks. It’s about the moment projects stall — not because no one cares, but because the people who care most are too thoughtful to take the first step without perfect conditions.

We’ve all been there. We tell ourselves:

• “It’s more responsible to wait until we’re fully ready.”
• “We don’t want to waste effort or redo work.”
• “If we just plan better, the build will go faster.”

The intention is good. The result? Paralysis.

🚧 Why We Get Stuck

We confuse blockers with priorities

Screws are important — but they don’t block a conversation about size or placement.

We over-plan before we start

Weeks of planning can be rendered obsolete the moment real work begins.

We fear rework more than we fear inertia

So we delay. Not because we’re lazy — but because we think we’re being precise.

🧠 The irony? Momentum creates better insight than speculation ever will.

✏️ The Sketch-First Approach

When you're stuck, don’t fixate on the screws. Start with a sketch.

1. Align on shape and size — fast

What kind of desk are we building?
Who’s it for?
What’s a “good enough” starting point?

You don’t need perfect clarity to reach shared understanding.

2. Parallel path what you can

Someone can sort screws.
Someone can prototype a leg.
Someone can test whether walnut actually works in the room.

You don’t need to wait for step one to finish before step two starts.

3. Trust that momentum teaches

Start building, and real constraints will reveal themselves.
Start testing, and useful feedback will show up.
Start moving, and the stuckness dissolves.

🔁 What About Rework?

Let’s talk about the fear under the surface:

“If we start wrong, we’ll waste time.”

But in truth:

• Rework isn’t failure — it’s feedback
• Adjustments mid-build are faster than plans remade endlessly
• Movement creates friction — and that friction reveals what matters

Perfect plans don’t survive contact with reality.
But real progress? That always teaches.

🧰 Start With a Sketch

That’s it. That’s the whole approach.

Before you inventory every screw in the building…
Before you schedule the third pre-kickoff kickoff…
Before you wait for someone to grant permission to proceed…

Sketch the damn desk.
Get agreement on the big picture.
Move what you can.
Sort screws on the way.

📍 Ask yourself:

• What’s your current “unbuilt desk”?
• What decisions are waiting for clarity you don’t actually need yet?
• What step could you take today, even if it’s not the final one?

Start with a sketch. Then we’ll figure out the screws.

Let’s move.