Secrets to Fix Your Overthinking

In this episode of "Get Over Your Shit," Malinda Watt tackles the pervasive issue of overthinking. Drawing from personal experiences and anecdotes, she highlights how overthinking can paralyze decision-making and halt progress for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Malinda emphasizes the importance of recognizing the patterns of overthinking and provides actionable steps to switch from a cycle of endless analysis to proactive solutions.

Key Takeaways:

• Set Time Limits: Establish deadlines for decision-making to prevent paralysis by analysis.
• Small Steps: Break tasks into smaller, more manageable actions to limit overwhelm.
• Challenge Negative Thoughts: Identify and reframe fear-based thoughts to encourage action.
• Embrace Physical Activity: Engage in physical movement to clear the mind and reduce overthinking.
• Prioritize Action over Perfection: Focus on making progress rather than achieving perfection.

"Remember, done is better than perfect. Take messy action and trust that you can course correct along the way."

Additional Links & Resources:

• Stop letting content keep you stuck—jumpstart your website planning with clarity and confidence! Get your content organized in just a few hours: https://malindawatt.com/planner
• Try Siteground, my favorite website hosting company: Siteground.com
• Learn more about me and my work at malindawatt.com

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Get Over Your Sh!t! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast and leave a rating or review. Share this with someone who needs a push to start taking action—because we’re all about moving forward together!

Hosted by Malinda Watt
Edited by Chris @ Wider View Studios
Music License purchased from stockmusic.com

Transcript

0:00:00 - (Malinda Watt): Hello and welcome to get over your Shit, the podcast dedicated to helping digital course creators, entrepreneurs and small business owners stop overthinking and start executing. I'm Malinda Watt, your host and fellow overthinker, here to guide you through the maze of self doubt and procrastination that keeps us from reaching our full potential.

0:00:22 - (Malinda Watt): Today's episode is for all the overthinkers out there. You know who you are. You replay conversations in your head, analyze every decision from every angle, and second guess yourself until you're completely paralyzed. Sound familiar? You're not alone. Overthinking is something we all struggle with at times, but when it becomes a habit, it can hold you back from making progress and living the life you want.

0:00:44 - (Malinda Watt): The good news? You can fix it. In this episode, I'm sharing the secrets to overcoming overthinking so you can stop spinning your wheels and start taking action. Let's dive in. Let's start with a question. How much time do you spend stuck in your head? Be honest. For most of us, overthinking feels like a natural response to uncertainty or fear. We think, if I just analyze this enough, I'll make the right decision and everything will work out perfectly.

0:01:12 - (Malinda Watt): But here's the truth. Overthinking rarely leads to clarity. Instead, it creates more doubt, more fear, and more inaction. I'm speaking from experience. I'll share a quick story. A friend of mine, let's call her Jennifer, wanted to start a side hustle. She had this amazing idea for an online store, but she spent months overanalyzing every little detail. She researched competitors, debated which logo design was best, and agonized over whether her idea was even good enough.

0:01:42 - (Malinda Watt): By the time she finally launched, she realized she could have been earning money and building momentum months earlier if she just started started sooner. That's the cost of overthinking. Missed opportunities, wasted time, and unnecessary stress. So why do we overthink in the first place? It turns out our brains are wired for it. Overthinking is often rooted in fear. Fear of failure, fear of making the wrong choice, or fear of judgment.

0:02:09 - (Malinda Watt): When we're faced with uncertainty, our brain goes into overdrive, searching for answers and trying to protect us from potential pain. But here's the kicker. Overthinking triggers a stress response in the brain. It keeps us stuck in a cycle of worry and prevents us from seeing solutions clearly. Research even shows that overthinking can lead to mental exhaustion, anxiety, and a loss of productivity.

0:02:33 - (Malinda Watt): The good news? With a few simple strategies, you can retrain your brain to break the cycle, here are the secrets you've been waiting for. These are practical, science backed strategies that to help you stop overthinking and start taking action. 1. Set a time limit for decisions. Give yourself a deadline for making choices. Whether it's 10 minutes, an hour or a day. When the time is up, commit to a decision and move forward.

0:02:58 - (Malinda Watt): Limiting your decision making window reduces the opportunity for overthinking to take over. 2. Take small steps. Overthinking often happens because we're trying to tackle too much at once. Break your goal or problem into smaller, manageable steps and focus on one thing at a time. 3. Challenge negative thoughts. When you catch yourself spiraling into what ifs or worst case scenarios, pause and ask yourself, is this thought based on facts or fear?

0:03:28 - (Malinda Watt): Replace unhelpful thoughts with more constructive ones. 4. Get out of your head. Sometimes the best way to stop overthinking is to do something physical. Go for a walk, hit the gym or even clean your house. Physical movement shifts your focus and helps clear your mind. 5. Focus on action, not perfection. Perfectionism is a major driver of overthinking. Remember, done is better than perfect. Take messy action and trust that you can course correct along the way.

0:04:01 - (Malinda Watt): 6. Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness techniques like meditation or deep breathing help you stay grounded in the present moment. When you're focused on the now, it's harder to get caught up in endless what ifs. 7. Talk it out. Sometimes overthinking happens when we're stuck in our own heads. Sharing your thoughts with a friend, coach or therapist can help you gain clarity and perspective. Here's the tricky thing about overthinking it's sneaky. It can show up in unexpected ways like procrastination, perfectionism, or even feeling too busy to make decisions.

0:04:37 - (Malinda Watt): For example, have you ever found yourself endlessly researching something instead of actually starting it? I know I have. Oh my goodness. That's overthinking disguised as productivity. Or maybe you've delayed a big decision because you were waiting for the perfect time. Spoiler alert. There's no such thing as the perfect timing. Recognizing these patterns is the first step to breaking free. Once you're aware of how overthinking shows up in your life, you can start using the strategies we just covered to shift your mindset.

0:05:08 - (Malinda Watt): If you're serious about overcoming overthinking, here are a few practical tips to keep you on track. Create a decision making framework. Write down your top priorities or values and use them as a guide for making decisions quickly and confidently. Celebrate progress. Each time you take action. Even if it's small, celebrate it. Progress builds momentum and reduces the urge to overthink. Limit information Overload Too much information can fuel overthinking.

0:05:37 - (Malinda Watt): Stick to trusted sources and avoid falling down endless research rabbit holes. Limiting your time on ChatGPT could also help this Schedule reflection time. Instead of ruminating all day, set aside 1015 minutes to reflect or brainstorm. Once the time is up, move on. Now let's address a few common questions about overthinking. Is overthinking the same as being detailed oriented? Not quite. Being detail oriented means paying attention to important details, while overthinking involves obsessing over unimportant ones or endlessly replaying scenarios in your mind.

0:06:16 - (Malinda Watt): Can overthinking ever be a good thing? Occasionally, yes. Thoughtful reflection can help you make better decisions, but only if it's balanced. The key is knowing when to stop analyzing and start acting. How long does it take to break the habit of overthinking? Like any habit, it takes time and consistency. With regular practice of the strategies we've discussed, you can start seeing improvements in just a few weeks.

0:06:42 - (Malinda Watt): And there you have it, the secrets to fixing your overthinking. Remember, overthinking doesn't mean you're broken. It just means you need to retrain your brain to focus on action and clarity.

0:06:53 - (Malinda Watt): Thank you for tuning in to this episode of get over your Shit. If you found this helpful, be sure to subscribe. Share this episode with a fellow overthinker and leave a review. Your feedback helps the podcast grow and reach more people who need to hear this message. Until next time. Remember, progress over perfection. You've got this.