Most of the decisions in my professional or personal life have been driven by a target date. There is a change that comes with a timeline, the deadline is important, and I need to take some action to influence the change. In retrospection, several of these actions have been driven by the apprehension of missing the deadline; and may not necessarily be the most apt actions on my part. My experiences have tuned me to act – even if I may not always jump into action ignoring the consequences, the fact remains that an action is essential to impact the change in hand. To act is a prejudice, and I am always taking actions for one change or the other. And I am sure I am not alone in this quandary. This is now a culture. People also feel proud of their actions, and to act is linked to intrepidness.

This is where a book my good friend Jinny Uppal comes handy. ‘IN/ACTION – Rethinking the Path to Results’ questions this cultural bias for constant action, and also offers remedial techniques on how to make these actions more impactful. The book offers a refreshing viewpoint to how we perceive a given change, and how we react to it. In addition to her own experiences that contributed to this book, Jinny has also blended-in some great experiences of people from diverse individuals who have taken a different path in their actions, and succeeded. The goal is not to slow down for its own sake but to achieve more by making intentional choices and avoiding the pitfalls of constant doing.

Some of the inaction techniques mentioned are quite radical to a preconceived mind. Who would have thought that daydreaming, procrastinating and letting your mind wander could help you act in a better way? But the examples with each of these tools show that they work, and have worked effectively for people. Jinny also has added a fresh perspective to the power of silence and meditation, and how they are essential to the inaction framework.

It is a very well-structured book, as it clearly lays out how the book would progress and conclude. The four sections establish the framework clearly and reader should not feel lost on what is happening.

However, it is the conclusion that is most powerful and is the real cherry on the cake of this book. Jinny summarizes the dichotomy of action and inaction very effectively, and she also acknowledges that there is no ‘magic mantra’ that would work for all. In fact, it is every person’s inner voice and belief that should use the framework outlined in the book to arrive at right actions. So if you question your own decisions and actions and consciously want to bring in a change in how you act, this book is for you.

PS – My immediate learning from the book was to procrastinate writing the review. Instead of jumping straight into it – for it helps to do that when the content is fresh in the mind – I re-read certain chapters of the book and deliberated on some of the examples to get the real aphorism out of it.