Member-only story
My Approaches to Overcoming ‘Analysis Paralysis’
I am a serial victim of ‘Analysis Paralysis’. I always create plans to improve on this state of mind but as I write this article late in the evening after creating 7 alternative articles that I have decided to ditch on the basis that they didn’t meet some standard that I have self-imposed on myself. I have now gotten to the point that this article is the product of 20 minutes of uninterrupted mental diarrhoea that I have only minimally edited to clarity purposes.
I am entirely confident that all people experience ‘Analysis Paralysis’ to some extent, with some individual’s experiences being far greater and prolonged than other. These variations in your experiences with this phenomenon are no less valuable but you may struggle to distinguish when you are suffering from this paralysis.
My personal definition of ‘Analysis Paralysis’ may differ from others works on this topic that I have read over the last 6–12 months but the central tenant remains. The act of being in a state of analysis paralysis stems from an individuals inability to progress or take any action as a result of being ‘paralysed’ through the act of overanalysing, overthinking and placing significant weighting towards hypothetical eventualities.
A key defining factor of my definition is the absence of a positive or negative framing.
