Soul Proprietor - Outthinking Your Stinking Overthinking

I have a pattern that goes something like this:

Come up with a great idea.
Begin with enthusiasm.
Things are rolling along…but then…it starts.
I begin to worry that it’s going way too smooth. Why isn’t this harder?
If it doesn’t take that much effort, perhaps it’s sloppy – or I’m coasting?
Maybe I need to do more research. Yes, that’s it. Let me go and study this more.
Procrastination.
Start to wonder if it sucks.
Nope, nope – get back on it.
Ugh…now I have so many other things I need to do. Oh, and I have a new idea.
Back at it again. Picking it apart, looking closely…hmm…it actually doesn’t sound too bad. This is better than I remember. Or am I fooling myself? Edit, edit, edit.
Leave it sit for two weeks. Or more. Back on it, furiously working.
Off to ask husband for his opinion. He says to stop worrying and just get it done.
I sit in front of the computer. I’m drawing a blank. Sweating. Is that a hot flash? I should go online and see if that is what I’m feeling. Hours later, it’s time to get back on it. I’m panicking and thinking I need to simplify. Or add more stuff. I need to make this harder, more scholarly.

What the HELL am I doing?

This, my friends, is how my brain likes to operate when I’m trying to create. It’s stinking overthinking.

That’s what perfectionism looks like in action.

What does it lead to? A whole lotta procrastination and spending far more time on a project than I should.

If this sounds like you, I’m sure you know how maddening this feels.

But this doesn’t need to be the norm. You can tame that perfectionist monkey mind and stay productive. Here’s my method:

Block out time where you will do nothing but the task at hand. Set a timer.
Shut out all distractions (sometimes that means keeping the cats out of my office).
Work on the project without stopping to edit. Just commit to the work needed to be done. (For me, this is important. If I tell myself “this is a rough draft” and it doesn’t need to be perfect, I seem to get it done without a problem. My perfection monster shuts up.)
When the timer goes off, stop.
Let the work rest a day.
Next day, go back with fresh eyes and edit.
Lather, rinse repeat.

This is how I stay on top of my tendency to indulge in perfectionist stinking overthinking. Keep it simple, rough it out and tough it out – and then clean it up.

The next time you find that you’re spinning your mental gears, see if this helps you. You might find that you’re way more productive and peaceful as you git ‘er done.

Blessings,
Theresa