Are you a smart person? I thought so. I am too. But sometimes I am too smart for my own good. I can overcomplicate pretty much anything. How about you? Problem is, all this overthinking drains our energy and focus. We strive for the exact right answer when good enough will do. Our creative minds take over and come up with a dozen different approaches when the first one we thought of will do the trick.
I’m a big believer in Occam’s Razor. Occam’s Razor states that the simplest solution is most always the best. Yet how many times have you and I, and perhaps others, sat around a table hashing something out that wasn’t worth hashing. One of the secrets I have discovered about the best decision makers it that when they find a solution that works, they don’t go looking for others for fear that they haven’t found the best one. They act and then deal with the outcome. As a result, they get more done, in less time, with less stress. Don’t believe me? Start watching how the best decision makers around you make decisions.
So how do you cure yourself of this energy-wasting habit. I find little signs work the best. One of them is in my hand. You see? It reads, “Hang on! Let me overthink this.” This mug sits on my desk. I reposition it every couple of days so it doesn’t blend into the background. The other is a post-it note on the wall above my desk which reads, “NBSO” or no bright shiny objects. Creative types, of which I am one, tend to chase the new–new thing if you let us. This little note reminds me to do a reality check when I find some “brilliant” new idea online or during a meeting. You can do the same thing or steal these ideas. Whatever works best for YOU!