I find myself caught in a daily loop of being presented with a decision, then sitting in complete silence for far too long as I try to make it.
Something as minor as figuring out what to defrost for dinner, to something as major as debating if I should tackle a certain topic for a future article, turns me into an overthinker who freezes up once the thought of multiple options for a scenario takes over. I know most folks can relate to this problem and are always looking for ways to lessen the tension that comes with it.
I figured ChatGPT could direct me toward the best ways to avoid overthinking every little decision I’m presented with every day. Not only did my trusty chatbot offer an overview of the concept of overthinking, but it also gave me different avenues to head down to avoid doing it so often.
Finding the best ways to overcome overthinking
After asking ChatGPT to suggest the best ways to stop dwelling so much on everything I need to decide on, it initially provided a quick breakdown of what overthinking is all about:
Overthinking usually comes from trying to eliminate uncertainty before acting. The problem is that everyday life rarely gives perfect information, so the brain stays stuck in “analysis mode.” A good approach is to reduce the cost of decisions instead of trying to make every decision perfect.
After absorbing that thoughtful explanation, I took note of ChatGPT’s list of 10 useful methods that are meant to eliminate overthinking completely. Out of those 10, I adopted six of them into my daily decision-making routine:
- Use the “good enough” rule: A lot of stress comes from optimizing decisions that barely matter long-term. Ask yourself questions like “Will this matter in a week?”, “Would I advise a friend to spend this much energy on it?,” or “Is this a 70% decision or a 100% decision?” For many choices, “pretty good” is more valuable than “perfect but delayed.”
- Put time limits on decisions: Overthinking expands to fill unlimited time. Try attaching two minutes to tiny decisions, 10 minutes for medium decisions and 24 hours max for non-critical bigger decisions. If you still don’t know after the limit, pick the option that creates the most flexibility or learning.
- Separate “thinking” from “acting”: Overthinkers often treat thinking as progress. The best framework you can adopt in this case is to define the problem, pick a single action to take next and act before gathering more information. Action produces feedback faster than rumination.
- Practice tiny discomfort intentionally: Overthinking is often tied to avoiding uncertainty or regret. The small exercises that can help retrain this include ordering something new at a restaurant quickly, sending the text without rereading it 15 times, making a purchase after reasonable research instead of exhaustive research and leaving small imperfections alone. You build confidence by surviving imperfect choices repeatedly.
- Use a “future self” perspective: Ask yourself, “What would the calmest, most grounded version of me do here?” Usually, the answer is simpler and more direct than the spiral your brain creates.
- Accept that certainty is impossible: Three of the biggest mindset shifts are that most good decisions are reversible, most bad decisions are survivable, and confidence often comes after action, not before it. Trying to guarantee the perfect outcome is what keeps people stuck.
Final thoughts
I have to hand it to ChatGPT — the proposals it made actually did a great job in helping me abandon my bad habit of ruminating too long over every decision I’m supposed to make.
Placing time limits on decisions based on how important they are, asking my future self the sort of questions that put everything into perspective and adopting those aforementioned mindset shifts put me in a better place mentally. Putting those methods into place eased all the stress that comes with constantly weighing my options for too long and gave me the push I needed to make final decisions in a reasonable amount of time.
Never having to overthink the best text to send to a prospective date, which places to recommend for a future friends gathering or which task on my professional to-do list to tackle first feels great since the weight of those decisions no longer rests on my shoulders.
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