Stop Overthinking!

Overthinking comes from a common habit in which we roll the issue around and around in our head, moving from decision to doubt to another decision, more doubt, and then yet another decision in a seemingly endless loop. We can’t be against prudential judgement or sober second thought. But even those virtuous practices have a natural limit. As has been often said: “Virtue is in the mean.”

How to solve this: Set up a decision tree of successive decisions that begin to steer us in the right direction (no unnecessary backward loops) – “wide” decisions at first, moving successively to “narrower and narrower” decisions, finally resting in the “micro decision-making level”.

Example: “I will start a business part-time and not full-time”. [You don’t choose between making fine furniture OR creating a delicious new barbecue sauce at this point. Just keep it wide – in the example the first decision is whether I can afford financially to spend full time or part time on a business. That comes first before deciding on the exact kind of business.] Subsequent steps come in due time with due consideration.

Developing this kind of a decision tree can help tremendously because it becomes a life template – applicable time and time again. It takes a bit of work. It can be done.

Our great team assists clients daily with this type of challenge. We offer a specific tool.