Overthinking
September 2, 2026
Are You Looking for an Answer or a Guarantee?
Sometimes continued thinking isn't producing better answers. It's an attempt to feel certain about something that cannot yet be known. Recognizing what you're asking your thinking to provide can change how you approach decisions and uncertainty.
Sometimes the problem isn't that you haven't thought about it enough.
You've considered the options.
Replayed the conversation.
Asked other people.
Looked for more information.
Imagined what could happen.
And you're still thinking.
At that point, a different question might help:
What are you hoping all this thinking will eventually give you?
An answer?
Or certainty that the answer won't lead to regret, disappointment, discomfort, or surprise?
Those aren't the same thing.
Thinking can help you make a thoughtful decision.
It can't always tell you how that decision will turn out.