Action Bias: Why “Doing More” Makes You Feel Worse—and What You Can Do Instead
- Dr. Dawn
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
A coaching lens on urgency, self-regulation, and the smallest moves that restore capacity.
For me, the summer season is typically slower. Today, I see that slowdown as space to breathe. In the past, I thought it meant I should rev up.
I used to overfunction and try to fill every moment. I called it productivity. I'd register for several classes, update all my programs, do more research, and take on extra writing or speaking opportunities. I'd also try to keep a personal life—BBQs, beach parties, birthdays, jazz in the park. And because the fall season gets busy fast, I'd start outreach early to fill September programs.
So the season that should feel like freedom became a tight squeeze. I planned for it every year—and still, overwhelm showed up with that familiar lie: I need a plan for my plan, so I have enough to do during summer. Eventually I had to admit the truth: that approach didn't protect me. It just kept me busy—so I didn't have to feel the anxiety of having fewer summer clients than I do the rest of the year.
The real issue
That overwhelm that drives me (and many others) to do more has a name: action bias.
Action bias is the tendency to default to "doing" rather than pausing or being in the moment, especially under stress or uncertainty. Action can reduce discomfort quickly because it restores a sense of control. You tell yourself, "I'm doing something," even when the effort is hasty, premature, or driven more by internal tension than by strategy (Patt & Zeckhauser, 2000).
From a coaching lens, this is not about laziness or lack of discipline—which many overfunctioning people believe. It's often about regulation. When your nervous system registers a threat (uncertainty, instability, identity disruption), action can feel safer than stillness.
The problem is that when action is chosen mainly to soothe feelings of anxiety, it tends to increase cognitive load and fragment attention (Sweller, 1988). It delays the deeper decision: what matters right now? And when the body is in threat mode, the brain's capacity for flexible thinking narrows (LeDoux, 1996). That's how you end up believing that doing more will create faster results and better outcomes—when it's often fear trying to create certainty.
Why understanding action bias is important
If you’re a leader, a coach, or someone in a career or life transition, you’re likely operating in an environment that rewards urgency and punishes pausing—especially pausing that looks like low effort or “doing nothing.” Hiring freezes, shifting expectations, and constant change can create pressure to prove your value through constant effort.
Action bias thrives in this climate because it reads as responsible and proactive. It can even feel like maturity. But when “more” becomes your default response to uncertainty, you get overwhelmed and start making decisions out of fear rather than grounded judgment—because fear is real, but it doesn’t always lead you to the best next step.
Where it shows up
Action bias shows up in different situations, but it comes from the same place: discomfort with uncertainty or feeling fear.
For life transitioners (career or life changes): panic-planning, rushing a decision, over-performing, or over-researching to quiet scarcity, fear of failure, or the belief that you’re not good enough.
For leaders/organizations: more meetings, more initiatives, more projects—without subtracting or deprioritizing anything—which can overload the system and cause you and your team to burn out.
For professional coaches: over-questioning, over-explaining, or rushing clients into action steps before you understand what they want or feel—often to manage your own discomfort with uncertainty, not knowing what to do next, or to feel like a competent coach.
Coaching case (real-world practice)
Once you know what action bias looks like, you start seeing its influence. For instance, a senior leader I was coaching was laid off during a reorg at a large tech company. The income threat was immediate, and so was the fear: What if I don’t find another role fast enough?
Their first move was to force a lane before they had enough information about what mattered at that moment—and what would matter over the next several weeks. They didn’t want a plan; they wanted immediate relief from fear.
As we discussed their agenda, they rattled off everything they had done (and everything they believed they had to do next): choose several roles they could take on, update their resume and LinkedIn profile, contact old colleagues, find 50 job descriptions each week, and start interview prep. Before we met, they were applying in volume, refreshing job boards between tasks, and stacking certifications “just in case,” because stillness felt like risk.
By the time we met, they were burned out and already feeling defeated. Lots of effort. Very little return.
The shift happened when we stopped treating their lack of results and burnout like a hustle problem and named it as a regulation problem. Instead of asking, “What else can you do?” we asked, “What are you trying to make stop?”
That question landed. They could hear it: the urgency and over-functioning weren’t productivity—they were fear trying to create certainty.
From there, our sessions became purpose-driven, and their next steps became intentional: fewer, higher-quality moves, chosen with discernment, aimed at outcomes they could sustain.
Three moves that interrupt action bias (without killing momentum)
Here’s what I’ve learned through personal experience and in my coaching practice: action bias doesn’t respond to more effort. It responds to a small shift in where—and how—you start your next step. When you start from urgency, you build a plan that matches urgency. When you start with regulation, you build a plan that stays present and purposeful.
1) Name the state before you add the task
Before adding more work or generating more effort, name the emotional or mental state you’re currently in. If you don’t name it, you’ll build a plan around the tension instead of around quality outcomes.
Example: An individual contributor is promoted into a leadership role and begins experiencing impostor symptoms. They feel pressure to create systems, work harder, and “know everything.” Before adding tasks, name the state plainly:
“I’m anxious because I’m not sure who I am in this role yet.”
“I’m reacting to fear of failure.”
“I’m doubting my capabilities.”
Then ask one stabilizing question—one that interrupts the reflex to over-function:
“What do I actually need right now that doesn’t require more effort?”
Naming the state reduces ambiguity and helps you choose actions that align with reality rather than reacting to your internal threat alarm (LeDoux, 1996).
2) Use a subtraction rule
Action bias loves “more” because it gives you something to do with uncertainty and fear. In career transition, that often looks like volume: more applications, more job-description scrolling, more certifications, more networking calls.
The subtraction rule protects your energy and redirects action into prioritized work: If you add a task, remove or delay a task. Not to do less for the sake of doing less, but to stop using “do more” as a coping strategy.
Example: A career seeker decides what to subtract when they add something:
Apply to 10 roles today → remove job-board refreshing.
Add targeted networking this week → remove random outreach (only reach out when you can name the role, the contact, and the ask).
Add training or a certification this month → remove one other output expectation (e.g., less networking), because learning requires time and effort.
Then choose one contained action you can complete without spiraling:
“Today I’m applying to two roles that fit my goals and interests, and I’m sending one targeted message. Then I’m done.”
This is how you reduce cognitive load and protect decision quality under stress (Sweller, 1988).
3) Focus on one intentional, low-effort action
I’ve seen coaches and entrepreneurs turn action bias into “business building” fast: multiple service offers, a new content plan, new training programs, more systems. None of it is wrong—until it becomes a way to avoid regulation: improving clarity, deepening presence, and tolerating the discomfort of not knowing yet.
This is where my PARA™ model helps because it forces focus: Pause → Assess → Reflect → Act. And the “Act” is one thing, not five—and it includes choosing to do nothing.
Example: You’re about to redesign your entire suite of coaching offers because leads are moving slowly. Run PARA like this:
Pause: “I’m about to create more because I feel uncertain.”
Assess: “I feel like I’m in scarcity.”
Reflect: “What am I trying to make stop?” What can I do with intention and low effort?
Act (one thing): “I’m going to send one email to my client list asking for referrals.”
If you can’t name the action in a simple statement, it’s not an action—it’s a project. Projects get scheduled. Regulation gets managed.
Closing reflection
If you find yourself over-functioning, especially from fear or uncertainty, don’t start with “What else can I do?”
Start with:
What state am I in right now?
What am I trying to stop?
What is the smallest subtraction or lowest effort that would restore capacity?
Once you identify the mental state you are operating in, pick your next move.
Not the loudest move. Not the most impressive move. The one you can sustain—without feeding action bias.
References
LeDoux, J. E. (1996). The emotional brain: The mysterious underpinnings of emotional life. Simon & Schuster.
Patt, A., & Zeckhauser, R. (2000). Action bias and environmental decisions. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 21(1), 45–72.
Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257–285
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About Blog Author & Owner
Dr. Dawn C. Reid, PCC, is the Founder and CEO of Reid Ready® Life Coaching, LLC, a Level 1 Accredited Coach Education provider. She is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with 20+ years of experience in coaching, training, and organizational development. She leads evidence-based, culturally responsive coach education and leadership development programs, supporting emerging leaders through strategic vision, ethical practice, and measurable growth. Her work spans individual coaching, coaching and mentoring coaches, corporate programming, and ICF-aligned coach training, with a focus on practical application, professional standards, and real-world outcomes.
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