Methods for Reducing Overthinking in Decision Making

If you have analysis paralysis, read this: I have a confession to make. When I started my career, I was a chronic overthinker. I leaned hard into being analytical. I struggled to follow Nike's slogan: Just do it. Over the past 10 years, I worked on this A LOT. To the point my weakness has turned into a strength. I have operated in ambiguous emerging markets… … and validated 0-to-1 products in 48 hours. Now I regularly hear: "wow you took action so quickly!" 3 tactics that helped me break through indecision: 𝗧𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝟭: 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀 😱 20's: I viewed fear as a negative reaction. So fear frequently led to overthinking career decisions. 30's: I view fear as my friend. It's a signal that something is important to me. I lean into fear, instead of pulling myself away from it. 𝗧𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝟮: 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 🧠 20's: I sought to derisk decisions as much as possible. But going from 70% to 80% confidence was a big lift. And I still ended up wrong a bunch. 30's: I rapidly test my assumptions in the real world. I've learned the hard way that if I don't take action... ... I'm NOT learning about how reality responds. 𝗧𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝟯: 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼-𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 🧪 20's: I put a lot of pressure on each decision. This backfired as I set up myself up for disappointment. Especially when things inevitably failed. 30's: I approach each decision with more curiosity. I start with fewer pre-conceived notions of how it'll go. My experience? The real world often surprises you. Better to test and learn! What tactics would you add to shake off indecision?

The most overlooked productivity tool? 3-minute mental fitness breaks. Most leaders think they can't afford to stop. The truth? You can't afford NOT to. Research has found that even brief mindfulness practices significantly improve decision quality. One study showed that just a 3-minute mindfulness intervention enhanced critical decision-making abilities under pressure. I see this with my executive clients daily: • The fintech CEO who takes 3 minutes before board meetings to reset her mental state. She consistently makes clearer strategic decisions that her team can actually execute. • The hospital administrator who pauses between back-to-back crises. This simple practice helps him maintain emotional balance while handling life-or-death situations. • The startup founder who schedules five 3-minute breaks throughout his day. He reports fewer reactive decisions and better strategic thinking. Mental fitness breaks aren't meditation in disguise. They're strategic reset points that: 1. Break decision fatigue cycles 2. Reduce cognitive biases (we all have them) 3. Create space between reaction and response 4. Restore perspective when you're in the weeds How to implement this tomorrow: → Set specific break triggers (after meetings, before decisions, between tasks) → Keep it simple: 3 deep breaths, a brief body scan, or simply observing your thoughts → Stay consistent even when "too busy" (ESPECIALLY when too busy) → Notice the quality of decisions before vs. after these breaks Leaders often pride themselves on cognitive endurance, pushing through mental fatigue like it's a badge of honor. But the strongest leaders I know aren't afraid to pause, reset, and then decide. Mental clarity isn't a luxury. It's the foundation of every other leadership skill you possess. Try it tomorrow. Three minutes. Five times. Watch what happens to your decision quality. And feel free to repost if someone in your life needs to hear this. 📩 Subscribe to my newsletter here → https://lnkd.in/dD6bDpS7 You'll get FREE access to my 21-Day Mindfulness & Meditation Course packed with real, actionable strategies to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose.

Life rewards those who decide. Not those who wait. Here’s how to make the right call, fast 👇: 🧠 The Science of Decision-Making:  Research shows that overthinking drains our cognitive energy, reduces our confidence, and can even lead to worse decisions. On the other hand, decisive people tend to be more productive, confident, and successful.  👉🏻 If you want to speed up your decision-making process without sacrificing quality, these 6 proven strategies are the answer. 1️⃣ Set Clear Criteria:   ↳ Decide what’s most important before making the decision.  ↳ Is it speed, cost, quality, or alignment with your values?  ↳ Having a clear framework in place simplifies complex choices and eliminates options that don’t fit. 2️⃣ Use the 70% Rule:   ↳ Adopted by Jeff Bezos, the idea is to make a decision when you have 70% of the information you need.  ↳ Waiting for 90% often means missing opportunities.  ↳ Remember: No decision is perfect; most are reversible. 3️⃣ Limit Your Options:   ↳ Studies show that having too many options can lead to decision fatigue.  ↳ Narrow your choices down to 2 or 3 viable ones.  ↳ When in doubt, eliminate anything that isn’t a clear “yes.” 4️⃣ Apply the 5-Minute Rule:   ↳ If a decision is not life-altering, give yourself just 5 minutes to make it.  ↳ This forces you to trust your instincts and prevents you from getting bogged down in unnecessary details. 5️⃣ Pre-Decide with “If-Then” Plans:   ↳ Reduce decision fatigue by creating “If-Then” rules. For example, “If it’s a project under $1,000, then I’ll delegate it to my team.” ↳ This simplifies decision-making and speeds up your process. 6️⃣ Embrace Imperfection:   ↳ Fear of failure often slows us down.  ↳ Understand that mistakes are a part of growth.  ↳ Make peace with the fact that not every decision will be perfect, but every decision is an opportunity to learn. 📝 Why It Matters:   Faster decision-making means less stress, more productivity, and more time focusing on what truly matters.  It also builds confidence and decisiveness, which are key traits of effective leaders. ♻️ Your Turn:  What’s one decision-making tip that has helped you the most?  Share in the comments below, or tag someone who needs to read this. 📌 PS... “Indecision is the thief of opportunity.” - Jim Rohn 🚀 Follow Harry Karydes for more daily tips to engineer your ideal life through mindset, habits and systems.

Overthinking isn’t intelligence. It’s your mind spinning in circles. Pushing myself to think more never brought clarity. Instead, it drained my energy and confidence. Stanford researchers found that constant overthinking weakens professional influence and clouds judgment. Here’s the brutal truth most miss: We CAN'T "think" our way out of overthinking. Here are 7 uncommon strategies that actually help: 1. The Catch & Postpone Method ➟ Name the worrying thought clearly ➟ Schedule 20 minutes later to worry on paper 💡 Your brain learns worry can be controlled, not chaos 2. The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Practice ➟ Notice 5 things you see, 4 you touch, 3 sounds, 2 smells, 1 taste ➟ Use when overthinking starts 💡 Sensory awareness breaks mental loops naturally 3. Switch to Action Focus ➟ Replace "Why did I fail?" with "What's one small step forward?" ➟ Choose answers leading to immediate action 💡 Small, specific steps reduce anxiety naturally 4. Break the Catastrophe Loop ➟ Say "I'm imagining worst cases" then remind yourself you can cope ➟ Remember: setbacks are chances to learn 💡 Acknowledging fears prevents emotional hijacking 5. The Spotlight Shift ➟ Move attention outward when self-critical ➟ Focus genuinely on others' stories 💡 Looking outward dissolves internal criticism 6. The 90% Perfect Rule ➟ Plan for imperfection from the start ➟ Accept that mistakes are normal 💡 Building in flexibility reduces self-judgment 7. Mental Channel Change ➟ Visualize switching from worry to encouraging thoughts ➟ Practice moving to grateful memories 💡 Regular mental shifts build focus flexibility Here's the freeing realization I had: We aren't trapped in thought loops. Mental shifts compound quickly into clarity and calm. Pick just one technique today. Your mind (and your career) will thank you tomorrow. Which technique speaks to you? ♻️ Repost if this resonated with you! 🔖 Follow me Suren Samarchyan for more.