Analysis Paralysis

Personal note from YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ybguA-rzHU&list=PLf5PUa_bu9_EMG2R3ZhecODo1mFLD3rZr&index=12

  • a lot too much time for:
    • researching
    • overthinking
    • analyzing
  • trying to come up w/ the best possible outcomes w/o taking action
  • overwhelmed by
    • too much options
    • what potential outcomes could be

WHY

  1. Fear
    • of making the wrong decision
    • of failure/success
  2. Perfectionism
    • want to make the best possible choice
  3. Information overload

HOW TO GET UNSTUCK, HOW TO TAKE ACTION

  1. Reduce decision fatigue
    • automate/eliminate as many other decisions as you can
  2. Limit your information
    • decide in advance how much research you’ll allow yourself to do
    • give yourself a container
    • not to researching up front & put yourself stalling to even start
    • give time restricted limit
    • give volume limit restricition
    • give tab limit
  3. Set a deadline
    • Give a specific time frame for making a decision/completing a task
    • Setting a deadline:
      • create that sense of urgency
      • help you prioritize
    • Parkinson’s law:
      The work will fill the time that you allow it to do
  4. Ask yourself: Why you’re doing it in the 1st place
    • weight options/decisions
    • which are best aligned with your goal
  5. Get out of your own head
    • talking it out w/ someone
    • overtime you can get into cycle of thinking, thinking, thinking
    • externalizing it
    • confiding in a friend, mentor, coworker, partner
    • see things from different perspective
    • have the talk
    • get it off your chest
    • take action
  6. Have an iterative mindset
    • understand that making mistakes is part of the learning process
    • learn, get feedback, adjust as you go
    • instead of fearing failure
      • see it as an opportunity for growth
  7. Embrace 80/20 rule: Pareto Principle
    • focus on 20% of tasks that will yield 80% of the result
    • spend time & energy more efficiently
  8. Mantra: Done is better than perfect
    • Better to complete a task w/ some flaws
      • than to never finish it all
  9. Break tasks into smaller steps
    • to make it less daunting (scary task)
    • to make it easier to tackle
    • can just focus on the next step
  10. Practice mindfulness
    • focus on your breath
    • bring your attention back to the moment
    • take the time to actually just unwind, to get the shoulders down
    • take a few breaths
    • take a break
    • go outside/outdoors
    • make a cup of tea/coffee
    • get the nervous system to calm down
      “Ok, I can handle this”
      rather than trying to work through anxiety
  11. Just decide & commit
    • sometimes it’s better to just make a decision & start taking action
    • avoid hamster wheel of indecision
    • avoid feeling: can’t make a step forward
      • until you’ve actually found the right thing to do
    • even if it’s not mapping the whole thing out just yet
    • overthinking: preventing you from taking action

James Clear

  • what you have right now is enough
  • when you’re bound to feel
    • uncertain
    • unprepared
    • unqualified
  • you can
    • plan
    • delay
    • revise
  • but what you have now is enough to start
  • good enought to get going

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