Are you overthinking your business?
If you really want to grow your business, you need to stop overthinking all your decisions.
Okay, maybe you're not overthinking every decision, but if you are anything like me, you're overthinking more things than you need to and it's holding you back.
As business owners, we have so much happening in our brains at all times.
We have the things that we are responsible for. The things that we would like to do and where we would like to get to in our businesses. All of the stuff that's going on in our personal lives. (Let's just set that aside for a moment.) And then we have all of these strategies and information about what we "should" be doing that we are bombarded with on a daily basis.
So there's a lot going on up there, right?
It's hard to sift through that noise. It's hard to make decisions and not worry that you should be doing something else instead. It's hard sometimes not to feel like you're missing something or there's something more that you should be doing.
If you are prone to overthinking in your business, it's not your fault. it's perfectly understandable. But there are some things that you can do about it.
What are you overthinking?
I find that in my own business and in my clients' businesses, a lot of the overthinking happens when you're trying to decide what to do next.
You're trying to decide what direction you want to take your business in, what strategies you want to try, what platforms to use, what methods you want to implement to get more leads or more traffic or more engagement, more visibility - whatever it is you were trying to get more of.
And this is where people get stuck in their heads a little bit and have trouble actually taking action and taking those steps, because there are so many options out there.
Now, one thing that I want to be clear about is that there are so many ways that you could grow your business. There are so many different strategies out there that you could try, and there is no one perfect one-size-fits-all strategy.
The important part is finding the strategy that is right for you and your specific business. There are strategies that are going to work for some people that may not work for you, and vice versa.
So stop worrying about finding the perfect growth strategy and instead find the one that aligns with you and works for your business.
Is this strategy in alignment?
First of all, there is a difference between pushing yourself a little bit out of your comfort zone and trying something that does not align with your values and who you are as a person and what kind of business you want.
For example, being on video was hard for me at first. Showing my face so much on social media and on YouTube pushed me out of my comfort zone. I had to learn how to do some new things that I hadn't done before and it has pushed me to grow.
While that was difficult at first, it was something that aligns with the kind of person that I want to be and the kind of business that I want to have. So it was difficult but worth it.
But there have been some strategies over the years in my business that have been suggested to me that don't align with what I want to do in my business.
For example, one of the common strategies for a while was to send cold DMs on social media to people who might be good potential leads.
That's just not a strategy that I personally want to implement in my business, because it is not a way that I naturally interact with other business owners and it's not how I want to meet people and have new leads coming into my business, so I use other strategies instead.
But if that's something that you want to try and that works for you, absolutely go for it.
This is what I mean - we have to find the methods that work for us.
Otherwise they're just going to be a huge uphill battle if it's not aligned with the way that we work or want to work.
You don't need to do all the things
The second thing to keep in mind when you're looking for the right strategy for your business is that more is not always better. Sometimes more is just more. You're creating more work for yourself and more problems for yourself.
What's important is not how much you are doing in your business, but doing the right things with the right intention that are going to take you in the right direction.
When you are overthinking the strategy in your business, instead of thinking, "I'm not doing enough, there's got to be more strategies and things that I should be doing," instead you've got to ask yourself, "If this is the point that I want to get to way over here, what are the steps that I need to do now in order to start moving in that direction?"
If there are a bunch of things that you're doing or considering doing that are not going to move you in that direction, then you have to ask if they are even worth doing right now.
Are they necessary?
Are they going to help move you towards your goals?
Because this is where I see a lot of business owners get bogged down in doing a lot of things that they don't necessarily need to, because they are trying to do all of the things instead of the specific things that are going to move them towards their goals.
Just pick something
The last thing to think about is that sometimes you just need to pick something.
Not picking something, waiting for the perfect strategy, the perfect answer, the perfect platform, is holding you back. It's preventing you from taking action.
Instead of worrying about making the wrong choice or taking the wrong action, if you are struggling between different options and you're not sure what to do, sometimes you just need to pick one and try it and see what happens.
Sometimes your first choice is not going to be your best choice, but then at least you will have an answer and you will know either yes, you're going in the right direction or no, you're not and maybe it's time to try something new.
It would be so nice in business if we made the right choices and we're heading in the right direction every time. In my experience, it doesn't typically work like that. There are going to be times where you are experimenting or where you make a mistake - and that's not really a mistake, that's a learning opportunity.
You are learning more things about your business and what you're doing and where you're going, and that's a good thing. So, stop being so worried about making the wrong choice and just make one!
How to stop an overthinking spiral
If you notice that you are overthinking something - maybe there is a decision that you're trying to make and you're struggling to, or your thoughts are spiraling and it's keeping you from taking action and working on things - here's what I invite you to do.
Step 1: Awareness
The first step is to be aware that you're overthinking right now, but don't judge yourself.
Don't be hard on yourself. Just be aware that that is what's going on.
If you need to sit with some of those thoughts and feelings for a few minutes and just acknowledge what is happening in your brain and in your body, then do it. That is a good place to start, to actually be aware of what is happening and what's going on, and just acknowledging it without judging it or trying to change it.
Step 2: Take a break
If you are overthinking a situation or a decision that you have to make or something that's going on, the next step that might help is to walk away for a little bit. Sometimes taking a break and doing something that is 100% not work-related can help snap you out of it a little bit.
So, go for a walk, go read a book, go play a musical instrument, go cuddle your pet - just do something not work related and give your brain a little bit of a reset.
Step 3: Set a time limit
The next step when you come back after taking a break is to give yourself a time limit.
This could be a time limit to finish something or a time limit to start something. Maybe you're having trouble actually starting a task because you're overthinking it. Or this could be a time limit for when you have to make a decision.
This could involve putting a deadline in your calendar. Maybe today is Monday and you're giving yourself till Wednesday to make a decision.
Or maybe you are assigning yourself a chunk of time and that is all you are devoting to this thing that you are overthinking. Set a timer and when the timer is done, either that task is finished, or you have to start this thing, or you have to make a decision.
Step 4: Get some help And then the last step if you really can't snap out of this overthinking spiral is to get some help.
Maybe you just need to talk it through with somebody, get an outside perspective, get some other input outside of your brain to help you move forward with this thing that you are overthinking.
As a business owner with chronic anxiety and an overactive brain, I understand that battling your overthinking sounds like a tall order, but I invite you to try out some of these tips that I've laid out for you and see if they help you or make any difference.
If this is something that you would like to chat about, feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me.
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