Business Bites: Overthinking at work
Overthinking is not constructive in a work environment
What is overthinking?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the definition of: “To think too much about (something): to put too much time into thinking about or analysing (something) in a way that is more harmful than helpful”.
Many people find themselves in times where they dwell on things from the past, where they look to achieve perfection, where they have a fear of failure, or where they worry about the future, and all of these can lead to overthinking. Have you ever had those sleepless nights where your brain won’t switch off and you think about the same points over and over again? This is a sign of overthinking, and can be triggered either by important decisions that are looming or by your natural behaviours.
One of the better-known instances of overthinking is an individual’s fear of flying, which is the fear of something to come, quite commonly with no rational reason. Whilst this article won’t help you if that is your particular type of overthinking, it illustrates that overthinking may seem irrational to others, or it may even be hidden by an individual who may have it.
Overthinking in work may be similar, where others don’t understand your worries or others may not be aware of how you feel if you are hiding it well.
Signs of overthinking
In her Forbes article, 10 signs you’re overthinking, Amy Morin shares the following signs that commonly accompany overthinking:
1. I can’t stop worrying.
2. I often worry about things I have no control over.
3. I constantly remind myself of mistakes.
4. I relive embarrassing moments in my mind over and over.
5. I often ask myself, “what if” questions.
6. I have difficulty sleeping because it feels like my brain won’t shut off.
7. When I recall conversations with people, I can’t help but think about all the things I wish I had or hadn’t said.
8. I spend a lot of free time thinking about the hidden meaning behind things people say or events that occur.
9. When someone says something or acts in a way I don’t like, I dwell on it.
10. I spend so much time either dwelling on past events or worrying about the future, that I often miss what’s going on in the present.
The reality is that overthinking is not constructive, and this is especially true in a work environment. A useful exercise can be as simple as separating out the facts from fiction. By producing a document where you have split the page centrally, and record facts on one half and other thoughts on the second half, you can start to focus on the facts side to achieve forward momentum again. It may be necessary to revisit this exercise if you find yourself returning to overthinking a situation.
How to stop overthinking
Jodie Cook in her Forbes article, Five ways to stop overthinking at work, describes a similar method as one of her five. She states, “What are the cold, hard facts and what is speculation, conjecture or up for discussion?” and “Reading into events, comments, questions and conversations is a downward spiral that doesn’t go anywhere good. If you’re not sure what something means, ask. Let someone else plug the knowledge gap instead of filling it with unhelpful speculation.”
Other useful suggestions from Cook include:
• There are two versions of you, your higher and lower self. Your higher self is the best you. Confident, assertive and focused on your mission. Peaceful, kind, with nothing to prove. The best leaders lead from this place. Your lower self is your lizard brain version; the worst possible you. Driven by fear, judgment and separation. Obsessed with competition, battening down the hatches, and convinced the future is terrible.
• Without your own definite plan of action smaller tasks creep in and work is created for idle hands. If you’re not getting anything useful done yourself, your attention moves to the people around you and what they might be up to. There’s space to overthink so thoughts run away with you. Figure out how you’ll spend your time and let the actions of others be an afterthought. Avoid overthinking by focusing only on your mission, and what you need to do to see it through to completion.
We can also take a couple of useful pointers from the Harvard Business Review article, How to stop overthinking everything, by Melody Wilding:
• Perfectionism is one of the biggest blockers to swift, effective decision-making because it operates on faulty all-or-nothing thinking. To curb this tendency, ask yourself questions like:
– Which decision will have the biggest positive impact on my top priorities?
– Of all the possible people I could please or displease, who do I least want to disappoint?
– What is one thing I could do today that would bring me closer to my goal?
– Based on what I know and the information I have at this moment, what’s the best next step?
• Right-size the problem. Some decisions are worth mulling over, while others are not. Before you make a call, write down what goals, priorities, or people in will be impacted. This will help you differentiate between what’s meaningful and what’s not worth obsessing over.
• Likewise, if you’re worried about the prospect of a decision bombing, try the 10/10/10 test. When the prospect of falling flat on your face seizes you, think about how you’ll feel about the decision 10 weeks, 10 months, or 10 years from now? It’s likely that the choice will be inconsequential or that you won’t even remember it was a big deal. Your answers can help you put things in perspective.
In summary, it can be seen that awareness of your overthinking goes a long way to finding the solutions along with separating the fact from fiction and prioritising.
Other useful articles
Harvard Business Review 2024. Three types of overthinking and how to overcome them by Melody Wilding
Indeed. 2025. How to stop overthinking at work
Forbes. 2023. Five ChatGPT prompts to stop overthinking in your business