9 Ways to Overcome Overthinking

Maybe you’ve been there too… 

You’ve decided to play well below your level, not because you lack talent, not because your mind isn’t sharp as a tack, not because you don’t know you have something to share or say, but because you’re stuck in a loop of inner conflict, overthinking, and self-editing. 

Maybe it manifests as: 

• Creating strategies or seeking out strategies and plans, and then not taking action on them 
• Stalling by not making decisions
• Rebuilding constantly instead of being more consistent and showing up with fervor in the direction you’re going 
• Building systems that let you stay small and safe, so you don’t have to get visible 
• Being careful and cautious because something could go wrong if you take the risk. 

Overthinking Results in Underdelivering on Your Gifts. 

It doesn’t always come from a bad place. It usually means you care deeply, you want to do your best, you care about others, being as correct as you can be, and improving. 

Overthinking pops up when: 

• We’re not clear on what we actually want 
• We’re afraid of judgement
• We get into perfectionistic loops
• We consume too much of everyone else’s stuff 

I think we SHOULD think through decisions slowly and intentionally. However, I don’t think it’s ideal when the inner artist, inner critic, and inner strategist are all talking at once. When they all start chattering at once, it can get very, very noisy up there. 

Here are 9 Ideas to Stop Overthinking: 

1. Create a decision-making rule

Decide how long you’ll allow yourself to decide. You can literally set a timer for some of the smaller stuff, or you can establish a date-to-be-determined by. It’s also helpful to create a decision day that allows you to have time to research, explore, or just take a long walk as you make your final call. This puts the decision into a container, not an endless pit. Loose ends aren’t good for your brain, and they’re not always an ideal way of showing up for others either. Some decisions make life better for you and everyone around you. And usually, the faster you make a decision, the faster you can learn it wasn’t the right one if you fail.

Remember, no matter how long you take to make a decision, no matter how much you overthink, it doesn’t guarantee a perfect outcome. Sometimes you have to move forward to know that. 

2. Ask yourself what you really want

If overthinking is tripping you up, please do not poll all your friends.

I have done this so many times!  You will almost always go further down your rabbit hole with more inputs. Asking for others’ feedback is great, but before you go outsourcing it, ask yourself what you want first:

What do I want from this?

What do I want this to do?

What do I feel?

What do I really want to say

What am I trying to achieve?

Start with what YOU want.

Then, go ahead and get that confirmation from a friend. 

3. Zoom out: Will this matter in three months from now? 

I can take a molehill of something simple like… putting clothes on and turn it into a mountain of outfits that didn’t feel right or look just so. I can overthink a t-shirt color: is this too bold, too tame, too boring, too lame!?

Will it matter in three months from now? In many cases, what we’re overthinking isn’t worth the effort.

This question helps you practically think through the implications of whatever you’re overthinking. 

4. Create before you consume

This is everywhere on the internet, and it’s common advice touted by writers and creators everywhere for a reason. If you find yourself constantly researching, reading, and scrolling, all the while not doing anything, stop.

Consumption floods your brain with noise, comparison, and confusion.

Creating, on the other hand, quiets all that and simultaneously strengthens your internal voice.

Do it first, write it first, record it first, Google later.

5. Not everything is a permanent declaration

Sometimes we overthink little things like posting, or saying something in a podcast, or something we wrote, because we’re worried this is the final word. Once we say this, it’s set in stone. Guess what? You’re allowed to say something and then also change your mind! Life is one big rough draft… we’re constantly moving around and shifting, and there are very few things that are permanent. So, just start. Push the pencil, create the momentum, write from the messy middle, and take one step towards drafting the thing. 

6. Pick a Lane and stick to it for 90 days 

You don’t need to pick the perfect lane or the “right” lane, but pick a lane and be consistent! Make a choice, and stop pivoting or overthinking every time it gets uncomfortable.

Tell yourself you’re going to stay the course.

Be it a new service you’re adding, your messaging, a client niche, a name for your podcast… decide it and GO all in on it for three months, consistently. Sometimes we don’t know what else we need to figure out until we give something the proper TIME to breathe. 

7. Create systems for un-overthinking yourself 

One of my biggest overthinking prevention techniques is routines and systems. Things I do regularly to reduce the constant decision fatigue. Outlines, automation, calendar booking links, schedules, boundaries, and more. Systems can be an overthinker’s savior. 

8. Done is better than perfect.

I’m not a perfectionist, but I know many who are. I watch them build this idea of perfect up in their mind and then they can’t post, deliver, send out a single email until “perfect” has been met. Done is better than perfect, so ship it! 

• In the game is better than in your head.
• Releasing it into the wild is better than planning it out on a Google doc.

9. Detach from putting your worth in the outcome 

Detach your worth from your business.

Detach your worth from what you’re creating.

Detach your worth from the feedback you receive.

Your performance, what others think, how others receive things, your business’s success, the outcomes of things… it doesn’t determine your value or make you less worthy.  

Ready to lock arms and stop overthinking together? I challenge you to choose just THREE of these and practice with them right away!