Overthinking is a productivity killer disguised as intelligence.

It shows up as caution, research, or being thorough.
But most of the time, it’s just fear dressed up in logic.

Sound familiar?

Overthinking convinces us we’re being smart. Strategic.
But what we’re really doing is stalling.

Here's what helped me the most: You don't think your way into clarity, you act your way into it.

The illusion of progress.

You’re spinning your wheels, researching, debating, tweaking, tweaking, tweaking…

But nothing is actually moving.

It feels safe because action makes the possibility of failure real. But staying in your head is where you never have to risk failure, embarrassment or rejection.

Is it rooted in your fear of losing control?

We try to anticipate every outcome, plan for every variable, and polish everything to perfection before taking the leap.

Is this really preparation or fear dressed in productivity?

And ironically, the longer you wait, the harder it becomes to start.

A better approach: Action over analysis

1. Use the 24 hour rule: You have an idea? You have 24 hours to make the first move. Not to finish it, but just to start. One post, one paragraph, one prototype.

2. Shrink the stakes: Perfection inflates the importance of every decision but most things aren't that deep. Test, tweak and move on. Done is better than perfect.

3. Decide, then iterate: Clarity comes from doing. Act → Get feedback → Adjust

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3. See what happens when you stop overthinking and just build:

Sahil Lavingia launched the first version of Gumroad over a single weekend. No perfect plan, just action and feedback