The Action Equation: Why You Don't Do the Thing
How to make yourself do anything you want
You know what you need to do. You’ve known for weeks, maybe even months. But you still haven’t done it.
There’s a reason for that.
And it’s not about discipline or willpower or “wanting it bad enough.”
There’s a simple formula that explains why you take action on some things and avoid others. Once you understand it, you can engineer yourself to actually do the thing.
It’s pretty awesome.
The way it works is simple: Your motivation has to be greater than your friction.
Your motivation comes from 2 things:
Outcome (O): The specific result you want
Stakes (S): The consequence you create to force yourself to act now
Your friction comes from 2 things:
Cost (C): How hard the task feels when you think about starting it
Distraction (D): The easy temptations competing for your attention
When you put it together, you get this equation:
Outcome × Stakes > Cost + Distraction
Or: O × S > C + D
Let me show you how this works with a real example.
The Example: Firing the VP
Let’s say a business owner needs to fire an underperforming VP.
He’s known for 4 months. He’s losing $30,000 per month in underperforming salary that he can deploy somewhere else in the business.
Here’s why he hasn’t done it:
Outcome (O) = $30,000 per month saved, team gets better, execution speeds up.
Stakes (S) = Zero. No imposed deadline. No real consequences.
Cost (C) = Massive. The conversation feels huge. Legal stuff. HR process. Emotional discomfort.
Distraction (D) = Email, Slack, other fires to put out.
Outcome × Stakes = Something × 0 = 0
The equation doesn’t work.
Which means: He just won’t do it.
Now watch what happens when we fix Stakes (S) and Cost (C):
Stakes (S) = Tell the board you’ll have the conversation by Friday, or you’ll donate $10,000 to charity.
Cost (C) = Break it down. First step: “Write the 3-sentence script for how to open the conversation.” That’s 5 minutes.
Distraction (D) = Block 2 hours Thursday afternoon. Phone off. Email closed.
Now the equation works.
The conversation happens Thursday at 2pm.
Breaking Down the Formula
Outcome (O)
The specific result you want. Not vague goals like “be successful.” Actual results with numbers.
For a real estate agent: $12,000 commission per listing.
For the business owner: $30,000 per month saved.
For you: Whatever specific thing you’re trying to achieve.
Stakes (S)
The consequence you create to force yourself to act now.
This is the most powerful part of the equation.
Outcome (O) by itself is weak. A result 6 months away is worth almost nothing to your brain today. You need Stakes (S) to make the future matter right now.
Examples of Stakes (S):
Tell your business partner you’ll do it by Friday, or donate $500 to a charity
Commit publicly to your team
Set a financial penalty
Tell someone you respect and give them permission to check in
Without Stakes (S), you’re running on pure willpower. And willpower dies by 10am.
Cost (C)
How hard the task feels when you think about starting it.
“Make 50 cold calls this week” feels massive. Your brain sees that and starts thinking about all the rejection and effort.
So it doesn’t start.
The fix: Break it down until it’s stupid simple.
Not “make 50 calls this week.” Instead: “Dial 1 number right now.”
It’s one action that takes two minutes and requires no thinking. Once you make the first call, the second call is easier. But you have to make that first step so small your brain can’t say no.
Distraction (D)
This is your phone in your pocket, the email tab you have open, Slack pinging you every 5 minutes.
Calling a prospect takes high effort, feels uncomfortable, and might not even work. Checking Twitter takes zero effort, gives you instant dopamine, and always delivers.
Your brain picks the easy option every time unless you make the distraction harder to get to than the work.
So move your phone to another room, close the email tab, and block time where you have zero access to distractions. Make Distraction (D) harder to access than the actual work.
How To Use This To Win
When you’re not doing something you know you should do, run through the equation:
Step 1: Check your Stakes (S)
Do you have real consequences for not doing it? If not, create them. This is the biggest lever you have.
Step 2: Reduce your Cost (C)
What’s the smallest possible first step? Make it so small you can do it in 2 minutes.
Step 3: Increase friction for Distraction (D)
What’s competing for your attention? Make it harder to access.
Step 4: Run the math
Is Outcome × Stakes now bigger than Cost + Distraction?
If yes, you’ll do it.
If no, adjust Stakes (S) or Cost (C).
Real World Stuff
Sales rep avoiding cold calls:
Outcome (O) = $12,000 per closed deal
Stakes (S) = Tell your manager you’ll make 50 calls this week, or you buy lunch for the team ($200)
Cost (C) = “Dial the first number right now” (not “make 50 calls”)
Distraction (D) = Phone in drawer, email closed, 2-hour block
Investor frozen on a deal:
Outcome (O) = 20% annual return on $100,000
Stakes (S) = Tell your investment partner you’ll decide by Monday, or you lose the opportunity
Cost (C) = “Read the executive summary” (not “do full due diligence”)
Distraction (D) = Close all tabs except the deal memo
Founder delaying a difficult conversation:
Outcome (O) = $30,000 per month saved
Stakes (S) = Commit to board by Friday, or donate $10,000
Cost (C) = “Draft 3-sentence opening script” (not “have the entire conversation”)
Distraction (D) = Block 2 hours, phone off
The Big Lesson
You don’t get results by setting better goals. You get results when not doing the thing costs more than doing it.
Most people try to increase Outcome (O).
They visualize harder. They imagine the outcome more vividly.
This doesn’t work, logically.
The leverage is in Stakes (S) and Cost (C).
Meaning:
Create real consequences that make the future matter today.
Break the first step down until it’s so small you can’t say no.
That’s the cheat-code buried inside the Action Equation that I hope you never forget:
Action = Outcome × Stakes > Cost + Distraction
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Powerful wisdom here. Thank you for this piece, Sharran. The biggest lesson is to take action.
Reflecting on the self esteem hit that will come if you fail to do what you say you’ll do is one of the most underrated Stake raises