We’ve all heard the saying, “Back to the drawing board.” But how long should we really be staying there? According to career counsellors Ryan Babineaux and John Krumboltz, the answer is simple: not long at all.

In their new book, Fail Fast, Fail Often: How Losing Can Help You Win, Babineaux and Krumboltz advise we ditch our old-school approach to launching a new initiative – one that required meticulous and time-consuming research and planning – and instead throw caution to the wind.

Though this can lead to great losses in the early stages, the authors suggest it leads to greater rewards in the long run.

“Starting today, set aside five minutes a day to do what you love. Find something you have been meaning to do and give yourself permission to do it badly right away,” they write. “Successful people have a knack for performing poorly. Find a way today to step outside of your usual haunts, habits and thinking patterns to experience new possibilities.”

Let’s look at five things Babineaux and Krumboltz recommend we do to fail fast and often on the way to achieving our goals.

1. Have Fun

There’s no way to sugar coat it – failure is not fun. However, by focusing on getting the most out of life, we can ensure our joyful moments aren’t overshadowed by our disappointments. Scientists have recommended a 3-to-1 ratio of good to bad, which means to maintain a sunny disposition we need three positive experiences to every negative one. As an added bonus, sometimes the best business ideas are borne from undertaking activities you enjoy.

2. Fail Forward

Successful people err on the side of getting things done, while achievers dive in head first. Sure, they don’t always succeed in their endeavors, but they always learn from their mistakes. The fastest way to find out if something is going to work is to try it. If things don’t turn out as planned, use those initial actions as a way to determine what you still need to learn.

3. Think Big, Act Small

Ambition is important, but success more often comes from a series of small steps rather than large, carefully orchestrated strategies, says Babineaux and Krumboltz. Going too big can leave you overwhelmed and distract you from your target. It can also suck up all of your resources. Build momentum by breaking complex strategies into smaller tasks, which allows you to see what works in incremental steps. That way if something goes awry, it’s not a catastrophic error, just a trivial one.

4. Overcome Analysis Paralysis

Have you ever caught yourself over-thinking a project? If your answer is yes, you probably know it can lead to frustration, confusion and hesitation. To keep yourself from getting bogged down shrink your decision. For example, you could plot out the next year of your career instead of worrying about the 20-year outlook. Accept new opportunities with open arms and determine if a smaller activity can force you to take the big leap you’ve been avoiding. Over-thinking without action will deplete you of your confidence and energy.

5. Stop Resisting

A great way to feel energized and alive is tackling a task that’s new, exciting and challenging. But we often have to fight our innate urge to resist change to get there. There are some easy steps you can take to ease your fear of the unknown. First, take note of your mood to ensure you’re in the right frame of mind. Then deliberately build grit, which is a combination of perseverance and passion, to pull you through the tough times. Finally, develop a “do-it-today” habit, where you set time aside to complete your most important – or dreaded – projects.

So what are you waiting for? There’s no time like now to dive in head first and set yourself up to fail. Though it seems like a scary prospect, you could end up reaping some great rewards.

As George Bernard Shaw once said, “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”