Do you suffer with analysis paralysis? Do you have to fight to get yourself to make a decision? If so, take respite from the knowledge that at least a couple million people out there are just like you.
There are days when I can’t decide (analysis paralysis) what to fix for dinner and instead decide (a decision—yes!) to order delivery. That choice just throws us into analysis paralysis over Mexican, Chinese, or Greek. Even a seemingly simple choice becomes a struggle.
I’ve been gathering ideas for ways to battle analysis paralysis. See if any of these work for you.
We’ve got two schools of thought here. Starting with the hardest thing first implies that you use your energy and drive to tackle the BIG problem, the elephant in the room. It may take some time, but you’ll be making progress.
Starting with the easiest thing first means you’ll see progress quickly. You’ll knock down the low-hanging fruit and enjoy getting it done. Theoretically, you’ll be stoked for moving on to the elephant in the room. In reality, the elephant will still be there tomorrow.
Analysis paralysis thrives on distractions. (That’s the third blue truck down my street today. I wonder what’s up? I should close the blinds so I can finish this piece.)
Our phones are not really phones. They’re mysterious devices that allow us to do a gazillion things, include making telephone calls. If you turn off your phone and shut your door—if you have one—you’ll give yourself a better shot at beating analysis paralysis.
Pick one thing you absolutely, positively have to get done today. Do it. Let everything else ride. If you need help with this mindset, read The ONE Thing by Gary Keller. It’s a great resource if you struggle with analysis paralysis.
I can still hear my children picking at each other: “You’re not the boss of me!” Don’t let Google be the boss of you. Decide you will spend only one hour researching your topic. Set a limit on how many tabs of research pages you’ll have open at one time. I try to limit myself to 4 tabs. Set limits for yourself and your research.
Does analysis paralysis set in because you’re afraid to make a mistake? Do you fear your decision won’t be the right one? Great—go for it. If you make the wrong decision, study what happened and learn how to do things better the next time.
I spent years as a newspaper editor, long before the internet and Tik Tok. Back in the good old days a “deadline” was the last moment by which all articles had to be done. Done, finished, never to be touched again.
These days “deadline” seems to be a nice thing to aim for. You’ll try to meet it—really. But if something comes up and you’re a day or two late, it’s not the end of the world, right?
If you struggle to meet deadlines, find someone who will hold you accountable for that goal. It could be a coworker, a friend, a family member. Set the expectation that your accountability partner will make you do what you say you will and by when you said it would be done.
Checkout this link to a blog on getting things done. Quit trying to make everything you do be perfect. Do your best, then move on. This blog post relates Joel’s story—how he kept working on a project, seeking perfection.
He spent 10 hours on a project that was budgeted for three hours. Do you think he ended up with a perfect project? Do you have any idea what his drive for perfection cost his company? Find out here.
Don’t be Joel. Adopt one of the strategies above and go with 80% done.
© Pamela A. Scott, MentorLoft.com 2022