Power Play: When you overthink, it’s time to stop

I heard this from a Power Playing ballet dancer. He told me that the key to being a great dancer is to stay away from the trapdoor of overthinking. Apparently when great dancers start to overthink the pirouette or that grand-finale move, they flub it.

It’s the same in business. Overthinking a decision ends up like over-churned cream. Something else entirely: butter.

The second you start fixating and churning on a problem, stop thinking altogether. Change the scenery, change the topic, and change the company you are keeping – anything you can do to stop your brain from chewing over the problem until it becomes a piece of tasteless gum in your mouth.

Overthinking isn’t evidence of hard work: and nine times out of 10 it’s counter-productive to whatever problem you are trying to solve.

And if you follow the advice, there’s a good chance when you wake up the next morning, the solution to your quandary will have presented itself without any interference whatsoever.