How to tackle this troubling topic has been percolating in my brain for a long time. The close of the old year, the advent of 2025, the chance to make a New Year's resolution perhaps, seemed to be a convenient cyberspot to deposit this post. Here's what I've been noticing - the following layout-building pattern, often among younger and/or newer modelers:
- not sure how to start
- plan a layout
- start a layout
- regret the start
- tear out layout
- do more planning
- still not sure how to start
- paralysis sets in
'Analysis paralysis' is a catchy term, but it doesn't really describe what's at play here. (Similar ear-friendly but meaningless saying: Chillin' like a villain. Do villains really have time to chill? Aren't they totally busy being villains?) Similarly, this is not paralysis that's caused by analysis, it's paralysis that's caused by something else. But I'll go with it.
This blog post provides a good primer:
"First and foremost, when you get caught up in this block, you postpone important (or unimportant) decisions. This alone causes:
- Unnecessary drain on mental energy
- Procrastination
- Heightened sense of pressure, urgency and panic
- Feelings of inadequacy
- Fear of failure
- Lower self-confidence
And this is just some of the baggage that comes when we begin to overanalyze our choices. It quickly becomes clear how no normal person could become productive in such an environment."
So I recently posed a question on this topic on social media. While not expecting to be publishing this post on the subject, the breadth and depth of responses surprised me - 100 comments in 18 hours. So, here we are! Anecdotally, this paralysis affects younger modellers over older ones. (This is not intended as ageism. I, too, was young before, and the life constraints are definitely different at that phase of life: job, kids, family, money. I've been there! Hopefully now I'm older and wiser, and able to provide a modicum of guidance.)
Having carefully reviewed the responses, I've been able to organize this post into three sections. Firstly, screening out societal pressures that apply to all hobbies; threading the themes that apply to model railroading specifically; then a helping of hopefully helpful advice for going forward. I don't want to just garner information from model railroaders, I want to provide some help. Maybe a little push to channel the paralyzed modeler's energies to some measure of success.
Dammit Jim, I'm a model railroader, not a therapist!
INPUT FOR THEMES
In the process of winnowing the comments I'd read, there were some that I decided to include here, lightly-edited:
A lot of creative people run into the "process-versus-product" conundrum which can be immobilizing. To me, it is the process of doing something that turns my crank. The product is the end result, successful or not. The 80-20 principle: if you can finish something to 80% completion and be happy, the remaining 20% isn't going to move the needle along all that much. - Terry
The hobby has moved from a childhood one to the 40+ age group just because of the cash involved in getting started. - Doug
When I first started, it seemed really overwhelming dealing with the variety of equipment and everybody else. I think what some struggle with is comparing what they have built to others. Everyone’s got their own ideas and over time they can be improved and even mastered. - teen modeler Nicholas
Don't wait to build that layout until you are no longer physically able to do so! - Anton
I think time is a big factor here, but not in the way direct way people necessarily expect. I think a lot of the "fear of failure" or reluctance to start actually comes from this. Time is precious and finite, but it isn't simply a matter of having the time. You need to have both the time itself, as well as the confidence that your investment of time isn't wasted. Actually getting larger blocks of time that can be productive is a challenge, but when that rare block of time is available, you want to make the most of it. So I might not be afraid to try something because I might fail per se, I might be reluctant to try something because IF I fail I can't get that time back, and it will be such a long time before I can try again. Money can be a factor in a similar way. More than that, though, is the part where money can't even buy you what you need. What I mean is, between limited editions and supply disruptions and everything else, if you need to replace it, whatever "it" is, you might not be able to find it. Every scenario like this also cost you time. It's not a lesson learned if you don't or can't get a second chance - it's just frustration. So of course people stay in their comfort zones and avoid starting new things. These experiences build up, and the loss of (finite) time becomes frustrating. The challenges become aggravating. Patiently working towards a goal is possible, but success has to be feasible - and it is exhausting to always be frustrated. So you reach a point where you won't choose to bring yourself more frustration, and you need some guarantee of success before investing more time. This isn't necessarily paralysis. - Jake
If you are loaded, or spend all your money on trains, it's a lot easier to have an astonishing layout that is hard to match otherwise. - Jason
Not designing towards your true interests, biting off more layout than you have the resources (time or skills) to build, and not accounting for human comfort (aisles, reach in distances, etc). And the biggest error - in their quest to attain perfection before the first board is cut, modelers lose sight of the most catastrophic mistake - never building anything and gaining the necessary experience to make better decisions in the future. Make your layout format decision based on the operational style you prefer and the amount of time you want to allocate to the hobby. Stand by that decision, do good work, and stop apologizing. - Lance Mindheim (watch for an upcoming post/coffee break with this American layout-planning thought-leader):
SOCIETAL FACTORS THAT APPLY TO ALL HOBBIES
Societal factors that will influence all hobbies (and life in general!) can and do influence our hobby but are not unique to model railroaders. I'm listing societal factors here as a way to screen them out, for that reason.
- social media peer pressure
- the need for instant gratification while coping with time constraints
- even entry-level folks enter as "experts"
- FOMO and the quest for perfection
- increased anxiety and worse mental health.
As a test, I checked with my wife, and her paper-crafting pursuits face challenges similar to these five. She said her biggest challenge was finding inspiration for a particular project.
THE EIGHT EMERGING THEMES
There are tens or hundreds of reasons, some specific to each individual modeler, depending on the myriad situations in which we find ourselves at times. I've grouped some of the most frequently-stated reasons into eight themes that eloquently emerged from the input I received:
- Comparison and Criticism. Inevitable comparisons made to others. Enjoy the hobby for yourself, take one step at a time, start small. Ignore anyone who is complaining about it not being good enough. Share what you have created. Stop apologizing.
- Costs, even when getting started. The fear of messing up an expensive model by doing modelling on it, the high cost of R-T-R models, kit and supplies.
- Access to peers, sources of good advice, knowing top-level modellers. Many model railroaders tend to work on their own and don't necessarily have people to go to.
- Quest for Perfection. Perfection or continuous-improvement that might lead to perfection? If only perfect models are shown, we are discouraged from attempting to attempt them. Why post more mediocre results? No-one posts a family photo these days that hasn't been edited to perfection!
- Skills. Many modelers are intimidated by the variety of skills needed to build a layout, whether small or large. The list can be long and daunting. Strong technological skills are required due to ever-increasingly complex technology in our hobby. Model railroading can start to feel like a chore!
- Model-building or Ready-to-Run. Efforts at model-building can be hindered by access to parts, supplies, local hobby stores, supply-chain issues. Layout-ready models remove the need to build.
- Space. Some people just enjoy building kits and models - not inclined to be layout-builders. Ever. Being able to afford a house in which to build a layout may be an issue, as is having to make frequent moves.
- Lack of inspiration. Today's railway operations are boring for the modern modeler. Lots of us don't live trackside or even near operations to use for prototype influences.
Here's what the infographics tell us about how to move forward. (Hey, when in doubt, copy an infographic for a post!) Referring to the points herein have helped me move from the themes I've discovered (above) to practical steps for success moving forward (below).
EIGHT SUGGESTIONS GOING FORWARD
Based on the emerging themes, here are eight positive steps that can be taken to move out of the paralysis stage!
- Share what you've done, but seek criticism and make comparisons only if you must. Look for gentle guidance and positive reinforcement. Talk to trusted mentors or peers. Join a club or group. As in life, surround yourself with good people.
- Costs! Try to budget wisely. Look for good deals at train shows and online marketplaces.
- Acquire new skills from videos or other online sources to learn new techniques and by using social media effectively. Join online forums and groups. Learn by doing.
- Practice on something less expensive. Experiment with new techniques. Re-do some older attempts to improve.
- Use space effectively, only as much as you need and can manage. Dedicate an office desk or module as a test-bench to hone newly-found skills or techniques.
- Keep your goal in sight, and keep goals achievable. Focus on the final satisfaction of completing project/layout. Many modellers look forward to watching trains roll through a scene they have created, or imagining how a scene will look when finished.
- Work stepwise. Take baby steps if that's what works. Build on your successes. Make model railroading a comfortable jog, not a sprint.
- Manage your expectations. Enjoy the hobby at your level, not someone else's.
I truly hope this will help any modelers reading this who are suffering partial or complete paralysis!
After creating this post, I realized I should never, and will never, think less of those who share layout photos like these again:
In just a few days we will begin another year.
May 2025 be a year free of paralysis, full of moving forward,
taking on new challenges and enjoying our hobby and life in general as you're able.
Thanks for reading along and I hope to publish more material throughout 2025 that you'll find interesting!
Happy New Year from me, and my family, to yours!
--Eric
Running extra...
Tim Hayman is at it again. Read Tim's AmTravels in this post and see what train-riding is like on the other side of our border. You know, the longest undefended border? It's not an uncontroversial border, these days. Tim's posts are always well-written, well-accompanied by photographs and definitely make you want to hop on a train, even you're comfortable in your favourite armchair!
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