One Quick Tip for Better Decision-Making (with NO Overthinking!)

My email inbox has been Out of Control^TM for as long as I can remember.

(And I was an early adopter of email. As in, my first-ever email address ends in “@aol.com”!)

My intentions have always been stellar. I truly do want to respond to everyone clearly … graciously … and above all, promptly.

But for decades, there’s been a vast difference between my ideal email response vs. my real email response.

My knee-jerk reaction to most emails is to assure myself:  

I’ll just deal with it later.

In that moment, “later” simply means:

• when I’m thinking more clearly
• when I’m feeling more confident
• when I’m in “creative mode”
• when I’ve compiled all the data I need
• when I’m a little less confused 
• when I’m feeling a lot less overwhelmed

I never intend for “later” to morph into … 

• … trying to figure out the perfect wording that will guarantee clear communication with no chance of misunderstanding
• … waking at 2:37 AM realizing, “Oh my word, it’s been almost ## weeks, and I’ve still not replied!”
• … watching the number of emails in my inbox grow exponentially, while feeling too paralyzed to respond to even one of them

It turns out that for many HSPs, I’ll just deal with it later is a one-way ticket onto the hamster wheel of Overthinking.

Where you get to exhaust yourself … but don’t get anything done.

<ugh>

If You Do This …

Your Achilles heel may not be email. 

• Perhaps yours is setting up an organization system — and actually using it.
• Maybe you’re great at starting new projects … but you stall-out part-way through. 
• Or when a conflict crops up in a relationship, you make it clear that the only time to handle it is Not Right Now.

I’m not talking about when you tell yourself, I’ll deal with it later, and then you actually do.

What I’m talking about here are the areas of our lives where we keep telling ourselves I’ll just deal with it later — but instead, all we do is overthink it. 

And while we’re stuck in Overthinking, our inaction hurts people we love.

Regardless of our intention. 

… Try Asking This

I’ve started asking one quick question when I find myself thinking, I’ll just deal with it later :

“What am I waiting for?” 

It’s vital to ask and answer this question in the moment — otherwise, when “later” comes you’ll still be unprepared for better decision-making.

“What am I waiting for?” quickly invites actionable sub-questions, like:

• Do I need to find something? 
• Do I need to do some research?
• Do I need to create something? 
• Do I need to place an order? 
• Do I need to ask a question?
• Do I need to put into words exactly what I’m worried about?

In the case of emails:

• Could I send a super-short response that volleys this back into the other person’s court right now … so I won’t over-think it and drag it on forever?

One Quick Question = Better Decision-Making

When you find yourself thinking I’ll just deal with it later, quickly asking “What am I waiting for?” helps you recognize your next step so you can take action.

It gets you off the hamster wheel of Overthinking.

<whew!>

And it puts you on the fast-track to better decision-making — with confidence and clarity.