Are You Stuck In Analysis Paralysis?
How To Stop Overthinking And Start Taking Action
If you find yourself constantly strategizing, but never taking any action, it is likely that you are stuck in analysis paralysis.
Analysis paralysis is the state of over-thinking about a decision to the point that a choice never gets made.
Consuming knowledge is great, but if you aren’t doing anything with it, it’s pointless. If you are constantly wondering where or not you know enough, you will be waiting for a long time.
Are you ready to learn how you can stop overthinking and start taking action?
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In today’s information age, there is so much knowledge to be consumed and so many choices to choose from.
Don’t get me wrong... having a lot of choices is great. However, it can wreak havoc on your ability to make decisions, resulting in a perpetual cycle of procrastination.
Think back to a time when you were overloaded with choices. Did your brain have a hard time processing all of it, to the point where you made no decision at all?
Analysis paralysis can affect anyone. However, it’s often the most successful of people that fall victim to it. In their desire for perfectionism, they may spend endless amounts of time looking for the best solution to a problem, only to go in circles.
Not surprisingly, they end up making zero progress.
As psychologist Barry Schwartz detailed in The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, too many choices often leads to second-guessing and dissatisfaction. In this headspace, you either make a bad decision or no decision at all.
“Having the opportunity to choose is no blessing if we feel that we don’t have the wherewithal to choose wisely.” — Barry Schwartz
If analysis paralysis a familiar pattern for you, it’s important to deconstruct why it is showing up in your life so that you become empowered to change your behavior. Are you ready to stop drowning in indecision?
Let’s talk about 3 ways that you can stop overthinking everything and start taking action.
1. Prioritize Your Decisions
Nobody wants to make the wrong decision. This is why it’s easy to have fear around choosing the wrong one. However, any decision is better than no decision at all.
Indecisiveness only drains you of your time and energy. Treating all decisions with the same level of importance will make you feel overwhelmed. If you have a lot of decisions to make, it’s time to start prioritizing them.
In the words of Stephen Covey, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
Which decisions do you need to make now and which ones can wait?
2. Aim For Good Enough
Unless you need to make a decision that could drastically alter the course of your life, perfection is not the goal. Rather, you need to aim for good enough and move on.
If you are a perfectionist, this information may stress you out. I hate to break it to you, but perfect doesn’t exist. This is why it’s pointless to strive for perfectionism.
Making a perfect choice comes at a cost to your personal and professional growth… you end up taking zero action and staying stuck in one place.
“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.” — Harriet Braiker
This may mean that you need to set a deadline for your decisions and commit to sticking with them.
3. Create An Accountability System
If you’re struggling to make decisions of any kind, it’s time to seek out the support of others. Find an accountability buddy who can check-in with you and makes sure you aren’t falling back into perfection paralysis.
The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) did a study on accountability and found that you have a 65% of completing a goal if you commit to someone.
Tell your friend, loved one, coach or mentor what is important to you and why you need to achieve it. When you are accountable to someone else, you are less likely to spend time overanalyzing and overthinking everything.
It’s time to stop procrastinating and start getting more things done.
Taking action is the ONLY way to overcome analysis paralysis. A lot of people feel like they need to plan for action before executing. However, you don’t need to be prepared in order to try.
Whatever it is that you’ve been procrastinating on, now is the time to take back control of your time and your life.
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