“We cannot seek or attain health, wealth, learning, justice or kindness in general. Action is always specific, concrete, individualized, unique.” – John Dewey

If you have been feeling like things need to change but don’t know how to make the right changes, here is something to think about this: Unclear questions have unclear answers. Specific questions yield specific answers that prompt specific actions. It’s much easier to start finishing specific actions. (Tweet this.)

For instance, “what’s the next action that needs to be done in order to move this project toward completion?” is a great specific question because it doesn’t ask about everything that needs to be done, but focuses on just the next thing.

Having a set of questions to focus your attention on what matters can be crucial when you are feeling lost, uninspired, and/or unproductive. In our post about better questions you can ask to be more productive, you will find a plethora of questions to guide you through re-evaluating what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it.

When your next steps are unclear, asking specific questions helps illuminate what to do next.

Originally published at productiveflourishing.com

Author(s)

  • Charlie Gilkey

    Author, Speaker, Business Strategist, Coach

    Charlie Gilkey helps people start finish the stuff that matters. He's the founder of Productive Flourishing, author of the forthcoming Start Finishing and The Small Business Lifecycle, and host of the Productive Flourishing podcast. Prior to starting Productive Flourishing, Charlie was a Joint Force Military Logistics Coordinator while simultaneously pursuing a PhD in Philosophy. He lives with his wife, Angela, in Portland, Oregon.