Have you ever felt like you’re thinking so much that you just freeze?
Well… This is a rhetorical question because I’m pretty sure that at some point in your life, you have experienced overthinking, and you have noticed the effects it has on your personal life and your business.
They said that overthinking is “the art of creating new problems out of ones that never existed in the first place,” and they are right, but sometimes it doesn’t have to be about creating new problems; it could also be thinking about so many little things that just don’t create solutions either.
Today I want to talk to you about how overthinking is bad for your business and how you can overcome it:
1. Procrastination
The word you fear the most even if you’re not aware of it.
Procrastinating means postponing things you should do for “later.” Yes, that later that never comes.
When you overthink, you spend most of your time sitting there on the same thought, looking it upwards, downwards, from one side to another, instead of doing what you actually should be doing.
PS: yes, not doing what you should make you lose money.
2. Paralysis Analysis
Have you ever heard this? Paralysis analysis is when you have so much information that you just don’t know what to do with it, so instead of taking action, you just freeze and do nothing.
Overthinking leads immediately to paralysis analysis because you’re not taking action or changing your reality to stop that thought from coming into your head.
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3. You miss out on opportunities
When you are so into your head, you don’t listen to what others have to say; you’re just trying to figure out how to solve the problem that might or might not be only in your head.
But what happens when you look up and listen to others? New opportunities arise, new ideas appear, and new ways to solve things start making sense.
4. It reduces your creativity
When you are overthinking, instead of creating new ideas, you keep playing the same thought over and over again, which leads to a closed mind.
Also, when you overthink, you’re not leaving space for resting. Our brains need to reset, to refresh in order to function properly. A rested mind becomes more creative, or haven’t you noticed that your best ideas come to you fresh start in the morning or while you have a shower?
5. You stop being a good leader
If you are in charge of a team and you are in a batch where you cannot find solutions, and you keep overthinking, you do not have time to lead your team, or at least to lead them properly.
Good leaders need to take action instead of having it all in their heads. Don’t get me wrong, taking action without a plan is not a good idea, but remember paralysis analysis; if the leader of the team is paralyzed, how would the team behave?
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6. It makes you unhappy
I dare you to name one single time you felt happy when overthinking or after it.
It’s normal to feel overwhelmed when this happens to us, and this feeling does not get along with feeling happy.
How can you stop overthinking and avoid all these side-effects?
1. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment.
If you’re not that into meditation, you can start by quieting your mind, being present at the moment, listening to some relaxing music, and avoiding thinking of what’s bothering you; if the thought comes to your head, recognize it and let it go.
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2. Dump your brain in the paper
Having it all in our heads literally hurts! So, start putting everything down, release that tension and create space in your mind for new thoughts to come in.
If you’re not into paper, you can open a new Word document, use One Note, Ever note, or whatever software you use to write your ideas and have them all in the same place.
3. Focus on solutions instead of problems
I know you have probably heard this phrase a million times, but the thing is that when you focus on the problems, you’re giving them all your attention, not leaving space for anything else to happen.
If you are aware of the problem and then say, “OK, I’m going to fix this, what do I need? Who do I need?” then your brain will start looking for solutions, be more creative, and will find the resources you need to overcome the problem.
4. Change what you are doing
If you keep pushing the same button over and over again, you will have the same results; there is no trick on that.
If you want to stop overthinking, you need to do something different, change what you’re doing, see if there is another task you can work on, go for a walk, take a deep breath, move your body.
So now that you know the impact overthinking has on your business, what are you doing to stop doing it?
Remember: “Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere”. — Erma Bombeck
