Five signs you overanalyse things, and tips on what to do about it

Analytical thinking and thorough consideration of important decisions are essential qualities for every employee and manager. However, when thinking about every detail is overdone, it can lead to decision paralysis and reduced flexibility. How to tell you are overthinking things? Here are five signs, including tips on how to solve the problem.

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Sign no. 1: Constant second-guessing of your decisions

Do you find yourself making a decision and then continuously wondering if it was the right one? If so, you lack the capacity to make good decisions about matters of the moment. Learn to pause briefly before each decision, think it through carefully, make the decision, then don't revisit it afterwards.

Sign no. 2: Missed opportunities due to excessive analysis

Perhaps you have missed certain opportunities because you simply spent too long thinking and hesitating. If this happens frequently, try setting a deadline by which you will decide and never postpone the decision beyond that point.

Sign no. 3: Inability to delegate work effectively

As Entrepreneur.com states, managers who overanalyse often struggle to delegate tasks to subordinates. They think about how to assign the work, to whom, and under what conditions. They ponder for so long that they end up doing everything themselves. Learn to delegate effectively. In addition to the task itself, delegate some responsibility for its completion: you don't need to explain every minor detail to your subordinate.

Sign no. 4: Excessively long preparation for meetings and presentations

Does preparation for meetings or presentations always take up a disproportionate amount of your time? Learn to trust your abilities and don't be afraid to improvise a little. This will often make you more flexible, help you react better to unexpected developments during the meeting, and make you appear more authentic.

Sign no. 5: Analysing even objectively unimportant decisions

Some decisions simply are not important. Learn to recognise which decisions have little impact and handle these more spontaneously and based on your own intuition.

 

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Article source Entrepreneur.com - website of a leading U.S. magazine for entrepreneurs
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