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	Thinking	Overthinking
Direction	Moves towards a choice	Circles the same facts
Questions	New and specific	Repeated: “but what if…?”
Feels like	Curious, engaged	Tense, foggy, exhausted
Ends with	A decision or next step	No finish line

	Hyper-Rational	Hyper-Vigilant
Sounds like	“I need to think this through properly.”	“What if this goes wrong?”
Overthinking looks like	Endless research, lists and analysis	Worst-case rehearsal, checking, replaying
Hidden fear	Being wrong or illogical	Being caught out or unsafe
What helps	Setting a “good enough” standard and a deadline	Slowing the body, then naming real vs imagined risks

Decision size	Example	Time limit
Everyday	What to cook, which email to answer first	Minutes
Reversible	Trying a new tool, booking a trip with free cancellation	A day or two
Major	Changing job, moving city, ending a commitment	A fixed date in one to two weeks

How to Stop Overthinking and Make Decisions Clearly

Why We Overthink: The Real Reason Behind the Loop

Thinking vs overthinking

The overthinking loop

One lap of the loop

Five reasons we overthink decisions

Why more information rarely helps

Overthinking is a protection strategy

The Hyper-Rational and the Hyper-Vigilant: The Two Voices Behind Overthinking

The Hyper-Rational: “I just need a bit more analysis”

The Hyper-Vigilant: “But what if something goes wrong?”

Why both voices believe they’re helping

Which voice is louder? A 60-second check

The 3-Step Pause-and-Choose Method: How to Stop Overthinking in the Moment

Step 1: Pause (interrupt the loop)

Your 60-second pause

Step 2: Frame (put edges on the decision)

Build your decision brief

Your decision brief

Step 3: Choose (decide from your Sage)

How to stop overthinking at night

How to stop overthinking a decision you’ve already made

Decision making when overwhelmed

Decisions From Your Sage: Choosing With Calm and Clarity

The five powers of the Sage

A worked example: “Should I accept the new job?”

Making clear decisions a habit

Three journalling prompts

How to Stop Overthinking: Your Questions Answered

How to stop overthinking: where do I start?

What causes overthinking and why is how to stop overthinking so hard?

Is overthinking a mental health condition?

How do I stop overthinking decisions at work?

What is analysis paralysis?

How long should I take to make a decision?

Ready to Quiet the Noise and Decide With Clarity?

Daniel Kobryner

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