The Perfect Plan Does Exist — But YOU Won’t Find It

Yes, I’m talking to you. No insult intended — just a strong guess: if you’re anything like me, you’ve fallen into this trap more times than you can count.

And here’s another guess that might sound narcissistic: you probably suffer from the curse of competence.

The Curse of Competence

It’s the ability to do almost anything and learn almost anything at an above-average rate. Sounds like a blessing, right? It is — until it becomes a curse.

Because if you can be good at anything, you’re also at risk of doing nothing. Your biggest downfall isn’t a lack of skill — it’s too many options.

Infinite choices, infinite goals, infinite approaches — and yet, somehow, nothing gets done. Why? Because you’re just as good at convincing yourself not to act as you are at actually taking action.

Stop Hunting for the Perfect Plan

Instead of endlessly analyzing plans, let’s analyze planning itself. Enter chaos theory.

“Chaos theory studies how even perfectly deterministic systems can behave unpredictably because tiny differences in starting conditions multiply over time.”

Chaos exists everywhere, even in systems that seem completely orderly. And when we plan, we rarely account for how our assumptions and mental models can diverge from reality.

Here’s the key insight: the perfect plan does exist — but only if you treat your plan as a living system, iterating and error-correcting along the way.

How to Build a Near-Perfect Plan

1. Write down every variable
   Time, energy, topics, platforms, tools, audience, motivation — everything that could affect your progress.
   

2. Map potential changes for each variable
   Time fluctuates. Energy dips. Interest rises and falls. Platforms favor or suppress content. Expect chaos.
   

3. Create an adaptive, anti-fragile system
   
   

   • Start with the smallest viable input — a single paragraph, a 60-second clip, or a micro-step so small that it’s impossible not to do, even under the worst conditions.
     

   • Tighten feedback loops — measure results, engagement, or your own consistency immediately.
     

   • Error-correct continuously — adjust format, timing, frequency, or even goals at each step.
     

The genius of this approach is that there is always one action you can take, no matter how chaotic or impossible things seem. That action produces feedback, momentum, and clarity, which compounds over time into a near-perfect plan.

Real-Life Example

You want to launch a content project. Instead of over-planning:

1. List all factors that could affect success.
   

2. Map how each might fluctuate.
   

3. Post one minimal version of your content — something so small it’s impossible not to do.
   

4. Observe reactions, engagement, and your own workflow.
   

5. Adjust immediately and repeat.
   

Each iteration produces feedback. Over time, small steps and constant corrections transform a messy, chaotic start into a high-output system that approaches perfection — exactly what chaos theory predicts when applied intelligently.

The Takeaway

The perfect plan exists — but you won’t find it by guessing, analyzing, or waiting. You find it by building a system that learns, adapts, and error-corrects at every step.

Your competence isn’t a trap — it’s the engine. Use it to iterate. Use it to refine. Use it to get as close to perfect as reality allows.

And remember: there is always one smallest action you can take, even in chaos, even when everything feels impossible. That step is inevitable, and it’s what sets everything else in motion.

Stop chasing luck. Start iterating your way to perfection.

P.S.

I am building Zenith, a personal high-performance OS that applies these principles and more. It’s designed to help you plan, act, get feedback, and improve continuously, turning small steps into consistent, measurable progress. So if it sounds interesting hit me up with an email or a dm on my Instagram @nicolassittenthaler