When “The Right Time” Is a Myth We Keep Falling For

You know that thing we all do where we’re waiting for the perfect moment? Yeah. That elusive, magical, unicorn-like time when the stars will align, the Wi-Fi will never cut out, our hair will cooperate, and we’ll finally be ready to start… whatever it is we’ve been putting off. Writing the book. Starting the business. Cleaning the hall closet that’s been quietly plotting our downfall for years.

Napoleon Hill—yes, the “Think and Grow Rich” guy—wasn’t having it. His take was pretty blunt: “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” And honestly? He’s right. The “just right” moment is basically the Bigfoot of productivity—there are rumors, but no credible sightings.

The Myth of the Perfect Moment

Here’s the thing: “waiting until you’re ready” is like waiting for bread to toast and butter itself. The readiness never really comes, because life is always in progress. There’s always going to be something—money, energy, confidence, emotional bandwidth—that’s not quite where you think it should be.

The perfect time is seductive, though. It whispers: Just wait a little longer… things will be easier then. Spoiler alert: they’re never easier. In fact, they often get messier. But our brains cling to the fantasy because it’s comfortable. It’s a tidy little excuse that saves us from doing the scary stuff right now.

My Experience With “Not Just Right” Time

A couple of years ago, I told myself I’d start a new project “when I had more time.” Guess what? “More time” never showed up. Apparently, it was busy hanging out with “spare change” and “free shipping on everything.” I had to start while I was still swamped, slightly stressed, and using coffee as my main food group.

And you know what? It wasn’t perfect—but it was progress. I learned that imperfect starts are still starts. Sometimes they’re even better than “perfect” starts because you build resourcefulness muscles along the way. It’s like learning to cook in a tiny kitchen—you become a ninja at making things work with what you’ve got.

Why We Keep Waiting Anyway

I think we’re all a little in love with the idea of readiness. It’s a warm, safe bubble. There’s no risk in waiting. No awkward first attempts, no visible flops, no “oh, wow, that was a disaster” moments.

But outside that bubble? That’s where momentum lives. The first step might be messy, wobbly, or even flat-out embarrassing. But at least it’s movement. Standing still never gets you to the next chapter.

The Tiny-Now Approach

The way I’ve learned to fight the “just right” myth is to shrink the starting line. Instead of saying, I’m going to write a novel this year, I’ll say, I’m going to write for 10 minutes today. You can do anything for 10 minutes. And here’s the trick—the small action almost always leads to a bigger one. Ten minutes becomes thirty. Thirty becomes a full scene. Suddenly you’re rolling.

If you keep waiting for the “big” start, you might never get it. But the small-now start? That’s always available.

A Quick Reality Check

If you think back to the last time you did finally start something important, was it because everything was “just right”? Probably not. It was likely because you hit that “enough is enough” point. You got fed up with your own excuses. That’s the magic—taking action before conditions are perfect.

Napoleon Hill didn’t mean we should be reckless or jump into things without a plan. He meant stop over-polishing the plan while the clock keeps ticking. There’s a point where “preparation” turns into “stalling with good lighting.”

The Bottom Line (But Not in a Boring Way)

Waiting for the perfect time is basically like holding your breath until your life is 100% chaos-free. You’ll pass out before that happens. So, start now. Start small. Start scrappy. Just… start.

It’s weirdly freeing once you accept that perfect timing doesn’t exist. You stop obsessing about “should I?” and start asking “how can I make this work right now?” It’s a mindset shift that makes all the difference.

So if you’ve got something sitting on your “someday” shelf—dust it off. Today might not be the perfect time, but it’s the real time. And real time is the only kind we actually get.