Subj : 6 Habits To : All From : Sean Dennis Date : Sat Dec 06 2025 18:03:46 From: https://shorturl.at/jlNFA (theepochtimes.com) [paywalled] === 6 Habits That Quiet Overthinking and Build Confidence With practice, we can cultivate decisiveness by easing the brakes that overthinking puts on action. Mike Donghia 12/5/2025|Updated: 12/5/2025 Are you the kind of person who has to read several dozen reviews on Amazon, compare at least five products, and then take a few days to think about nearly every purchase? Do you spend more time planning your dreams and goals than actually taking action? If so, you're not alone. Overthinking is a common issue that many of us wrestle with. We live in a world of more choices and information than ever before, and for some personalities, filtering through it all can feel like a full-time job. Unfortunately, overthinking isn't just a matter of taking a little longer to reach decisions--it can have downstream effects that affect your well-being. The longer we are stuck in our heads, the more our self-confidence begins to erode. We might even leave behind a string of unfinished projects and strained relationships from our inability to escape the endless "what ifs," "buts," and "maybes." Although I still struggle with it from time to time, I've made huge strides in curbing my chronic overthinking, and I feel that if I can do it, you can too. Let's start by examining the three root causes of most overthinking, followed by the seven tips that have been most helpful in my journey. 3 Top Reasons We Overthink Overthinking is our mind's way of coping with something that doesn't feel quite right. The instinct isn't entirely off--we should indeed give more thought to something we feel uncertain about. The problem arises when this mechanism becomes the default for nearly all decision-making and gets stuck in place. Three powerful emotions push us toward overthinking: 1. We Dislike Uncertainty Uncertainty paralyzes me most. I detest having to take action before I feel ready, before I've had time to think through all the problems that might arise. However, the more I think through every possible scenario, the more I lose confidence and momentum toward actually doing the thing itself. 2. We Fear Making Mistakes We sometimes overthink because it's safer and easier than doing. As long as we're in planning mode, our ideas feel clear, and the path seems destined for success. However, the world of action isn't so neat and tidy--it's a place where mistakes and failure are a real possibility. 3. We Lack Self-Confidence If you've struggled to execute your plans in the past or you've made a series of decisions that ended up being wrong, it's easy for hesitancy to sneak into your decision-making. If we let this hesitancy grow into fear, it can keep us in a state of stagnation. We need to make decisions and learn from them in order to grow our confidence. 6 Life Hacks to Become a Person of Action What's the opposite of overthinking? It is becoming a person of action. The more I observe the people I respect, the more I can see that they primarily learn by doing. They develop an idea or hypothesis to about 80 percent confidence, and then refine it through action. The difference is that an overthinker believes they can eliminate all uncertainty before taking action. The feedback loop on action is so fast that the doers end up further ahead in the long run. Because they're willing to learn and adapt, their mistakes aren't as costly as those of the overthinker who becomes overly committed to a particular path. In my passage from overthinker to aspiring person of action, I've collected a handful of life hacks that have helped me make decisions faster and with less regret. I share them to inspire you to experiment and see what works for you. 1. Recognize the Costs of Inaction A big breakthrough for me came in realizing that my overthinking was making me unhappy and causing me to miss out on the much faster feedback loop of learning from experience. Not wanting to squander more of my precious time in this way has pushed me to take the leap of action on many occasions. 2. Use Time-Bound Decision-Making When I have work to do, I almost always give myself a timeline to get it done. Self-imposed deadlines force me to make decisions quicker than if I had left things open-ended. Putting a cap on my time encourages me to prioritize progress over perfection. 3. Strengthen Your Intuition One of the best ways to make faster decisions is to give them less thought. Rely on your intuition--or gut instinct--to determine the best course of action. Intuition is a skill that can be developed like any other. While it sounds risky, the best place to start is with less impactful decisions, such as small purchases on Amazon or choosing a meal at a restaurant. 4. Increase Your Confidence Confidence is a huge part of faster decision-making. The more you trust yourself to make a good decision and follow through with it, the less you'll be tempted to compensate by overthinking. Here are a few quick tips for building confidence: - Exercise daily and start eating better. - Get enough sleep so you feel rested. - Keep your environment visually clean and well-organized. - Take care of your personal hygiene so you look your best. - Try your hardest to improve one area of your life and make progress. 5. Get Out of Your Head Overthinking usually starts with a legitimate desire to research an unknown area, but can turn into an endless cycle of rumination. To break the cycle, try holding the same conversation with a wise friend or writing out your thoughts in a journal. Both practices bring clarity and focus to thinking that is sometimes harder to achieve in your own head. 6. Fill Your Day With Meaningful Pursuits Ultimately, pursuing a life of meaning has worked best for me. My overthinking took a huge hit once I became very clear about my goals and purpose in life and started filling my days with progress in these areas. One of the biggest causes of overthinking is not having a strong enough reason to make decisions and take action. When you get clear about that, and you want something enough, you'll find confidence and boldness you never knew you had. === -- Sean --- MultiMail/Win * Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1) .