I for one, from personal experience, can tell you that overthinking is something very common in human beings now more than ever. If I'm being honest, I could probably say that most of the times that I missed out on an opportunity were as a result of me overthinking the entire situation I found myself in. But only recently did I realise that this was an issue that I had been carrying around with me for so long. Sure, there's nothing wrong with assessing a situation but at times we tend to take it too far.

A good example is planning to start exercising (and I quote) 'next week.' When you agree to do something of the sort, one crucial aspect to consider is whether it fits into your schedule. Choose a time that best suits you. This isn't overthinking! You begin to overthink when you choose to start shuffling around with the other stuff in your day and stress on the fact that you need to work out for at least an hour a day (by the way, you don't need to work out that long). What normally happens is that on the day itself you wake up and give yourself excuses as to why it wouldn't work out (no pun intended). Example: What if . . . I don't complete my homework on time? I work out and get hurt? I work out too much and forget the clothes in the dryer?

What you don't realise is that you could implement this simple habit into your day by fusing it with another activity. You could choose to take a fifteen-minute walk to clear your mind and still get in some exercise (talk about multi-tasking).

At times when I had to make a speech in school, I would overthink it. I would ask myself questions like Is this example too complicated? or Is this language too basic? In the end, I would postpone writing the speech until the last minute and end up writing it on the eve of the big day. You and I both know that writing things twenty minutes to your bed-time isn't really efficient whereas had I just written what was necessary a week prior to the event, I would have had time to practise the deliverance of the speech. 

Overthinking, in addition to causing procrastination, can be a major source of stress. Let's say that your mom asks to speak to you. You could begin to think about all the things that you could possibly have done: Did I do something wrong? Does she know that I've been failing Math? The Principal must have told her. No, it was David! He's upset with me for using his new shoes without his permission. Or maybe she received an alien message! (Yeah, probably not the last one). But yet all Mom wanted to tell you is that she wasn't going to be around this weekend and was leaving you in charge.

Overthinking can really drive you nuts. It might seem like a part of us that we can't get rid of but it's really simple. All you need to do is to realise what your priorities are. You need to know what you want out of a situation and work towards that. In her book How to Be a Bawse, Lilly Singh says "Step out of the complicated maze you've created and take a one-way street to Clarityville. Things can be simple when you take a step back."

I really hope that this has been helpful to you. Please give me your feedback and leave your thoughts down below in the comment section. 

CHALLENGE: For three days try not to overthink anything. Do what first comes to your mind. Let your priorities guide you.