Hi there!
Last week, I launched a YouTube channel, started this newsletter, and showed up on social media more times in one week than ever before...with content about overthinking.
Did I overthink all these activities?
✅ You bet I did!
🤔 And so it got me thinking, is overthinking ever helpful?
As an academic psychologist (AKA a professional overthinker), I'm sure I'm somewhat biased in my opinion that yes, sometimes overthinking can be helpful, so I put together a framework to clarify my thoughts on this.
Here's how I use the framework to keep myself in check...
Focusing on the Action and Time dimensions is usually the fastest way for me to figure out when it's time to stop thinking and do something.
For example, I spent months preparing for last week's YouTube launch, and still, when it came time to finally publish the banner and my first video, I found myself second-guessing every color and font choice I had made, spending hours going back and forth in my mind (and even considering delaying the launch further!)
In my head, I knew I needed to just go for it, but clearly I wasn't taking action, and I was using up time I needed to spend prepping a class.
Thankfully, I heard the voices of some of the creators I admire (Rory Vaden, Amy Porterfield, Ann Kroeker) encourage me to just take the first step, and so I did. 😬
- I didn't feel better.
- I still felt scared.
- But I got unstuck and used my time more productively.
What about you?
➡️ Have you ever made a decision that was better because of your careful thinking about it?
➡️ How do you know it's time to stop overthinking and start taking action?
Let me know!
~ Dr. Natasha
PS: In this week's YouTube video👇🏼, I explore each dimension more fully.
