Waiting in a car park ready to deliver a workshop and trying not to overthink how it will go Related: https://leadershipintheraw.org/2023/03/29/delivering-dosh-money-awareness-training/ March 2023

* Overlooking a cliff face somewhere in the Brecon Beacons I am about to take my final test for my Hang Gliders pilot qualification. I have again checked my harness is fixed to the glider. I am trying not to over think about all manoeuvres I have to make and all the things that could go wrong e.g. the wind thermals. Now it is my turn to take off………*

Overthinking involves thinking about a certain topic or situation excessively and analysing it for prolonged periods of time.

I have experience in this area as I have often found myself overthinking a situation, especially when I was starting out in both my careers. One of the penalties of being a born worrier.

Related:  https://leadershipintheraw.org/2024/11/14/a-born-worrier-do-not-worry-it-is-not-all-bad/

A piece of advice I have often given to people when they have come to me with something they were worried about is not to ‘overthink’ a situation (they are often on stage 4 of the situation before they have even tackled stage 1).

Five consequences of overthinking

  1. A paralysis of analysis. Overthinking problem to the point of not being able to make a decision. Thinking a situation is too complicated, and therefore a decision is never made, or made much too late.
  2. Convincing yourself that thinking about something for a long time is the key to developing the best solution. But often that is not the case. (the pursuit of perfection).
  3. The longer you think about something, the less time and energy you have to take productive action, because you are frightened of making a mistake.
  4. You cannot sleep or stay asleep because your mind is racing.
  5. Second-guessing your decisions and continuously imagining worst-case scenarios can be exhausting.

Ten ways to cope with overthinking (that have worked for me):

  1. Being simplistic. Perhaps because I left school at 15 years of age one of the advantages of my academic short comings are that I see situations and challenges in simple terms. Do not over complicate things in front of you.
  2. Choosing the right time to over think This is a discipline I regularly exercise. Choose the time you operate at peak performance (for me it is early in the morning) and then park your sticky situation/problem for that specific ‘time period.’ 
  3. Breaking that situation you are thinking about into stages and then only thinking about one stage at a time without thinking too far ahead. My experience, certainly when I was a Managing Director (for 15 years) is that often that thing that was exercising my mind for an undue amount of time, resolved itself by the time I got to stage 3 or 4.
  4. Talk it through with a Mentor or a trusted colleague to gain a different perspective. I am super lucky that I can do this with Joyce, my wife, who has a gift for getting things into perspective. As Joyce often tells me “It keeps you off the ledge Steve”
  5. Disrupt your overthinking with a distraction. Have a set of favourite distractions that work for you.
  6. Go for a run (a long walk works too). This is one of my favourite distractions for either solving a problem or putting your brain into neutral (when I am doing hill and or speed repetitions).
  7. Write it down. Writing the problem and or situation down and then including three options to resolve it. I have found this is a time efficient process as opposed to carrying it around my head.
  8. Put a time limit on it – if you are going to have to overthink a situation, then impose a time limit that you will focus on it. 15 minutes minimum, 30 minutes maximum works for me.
  9. Question your thoughts – will this thing you are overthinking about be an issue in six months’ time? The likelihood is, it will not be, and calm is resumed.
  10. Practice Mindfulness  Related:  https://leadershipintheraw.org/2025/06/07/being-bettinas-dad-bettina-transforming-my-life-with-mindfulness-2/

“Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh.

when we were underneath it?”

“Supposing it didn’t said Pooh.

after careful thought

Piglet was comforted by this.”

A.A. Milne

When it is ok to overthink and while retaining a balance

Sitting around the table at a Board Meeting in London a couple of years ago we were about to spend three hours ‘overthinking’ we were considering and analysing our business strategy for the next three years, it would include our risk management, strategic aims & objectives, and our financial position.  Super talented people surrounded me, and this was ok to overthink what we were going to plan and implement (in a disciplined way.)

We had:

  • allocated an amount of time for our deliberations.
  • agreed an agenda and programme (we would stick to).
  • end goals we wanted to achieve by the end of our meeting.

* Following my final test I qualified as a Hang Glider Pilot (although judging by my written exam results, nobody could accuse me overthinking about wind thermals):

Source: Steve Raw www.leadershipintheraw.org