I use this all the time at school. Often, I find myself scattered somewhere between brainstorming in my mind and brainstorming on paper. So I will give myself the space to write for a bit and get all my ideas out, take a look at my task again and then I'm set for the long haul. 10 seconds is a bit too short for me, I'm more of a 5-10 minute type person!
Absolutely fantastic information. It is easy to forget these tips that we may have learned of in the past. This is a great opportunity to reset and go. Life is all about relearning what you think you are so sure of.
Great info to live by! Wish I had come across this back when I was living in the world of employment. Could have used this direction. Now that I’m retired overthinking isn’t an issue, it’s thinking in general!
Yes, 10 seconds is the perfect time limit to decide and begin. I'm going to start writing notes every day here. I have everything I need, and lots of pre-prepared handwritten notes too on Post-Its. It should be easy.
I literally started doing this a week ago. I didn't know it was 'The 10-Second Hack', just something I had learned along my mental health journey. IT WORKS!
I feel like overthinking is your biggest opponent. Like you're playing mental ping-pong, but the ball never lands. This post gets it: the magic isn't in having the perfect plan—it’s in taking the first step. That’s the move most of us underestimate, especially when life feels unpredictable or overwhelming.
This applies to more than projects or goals—it’s a game-changer in relationships too. When you’re dealing with a partner whose behavior keeps you guessing, it’s easy to get stuck in the ‘what-if’ loop.
What if I say the wrong thing?
What if it backfires?
Clarity doesn’t come from overthinking—it comes from action. A single gesture, a thoughtful word, or even a moment of vulnerability can shift the entire dynamic.
Think of it like a reset button for the emotional chaos. It’s not about fixing everything at once; it’s about showing up in the now and creating momentum.
And here’s the kicker: when you start small—whether in your career, your personal life, or your relationship—it’s like giving your brain a win.
Actually, after 30+ years in private practice and a pair of Ph.D.s in psychology I’ve discovered OVERthinking (i.e., thinking TOO much) doesn’t exist.
It’s actually UNDERthinking which is ignoring important aspects of a situation 😉
We can think FAST and shallow or SLOW and deep.
UNDERthinking is the former which leaves us being unaware of our existence information that may be useful.
As a veteran clinician, I’ve met so many that UNDERthink. I’ve never met, after encountering many thousands of patients and coaching clients, any who have thought TOO much.
The big idea with this is that people don't associate procrastination as a form of underthinking. They overthink about other things in an attempt to delay thinking about the priority task. In their paradigm, they 'think-procrastinate' about everything surrounding the situation or task rather than thinking actively about that task.
Thank you for the thoughtful response. I agree that procrastination often involves avoiding active engagement with a priority task.
However, what you describe as “overthinking” is better understood, from a clinical perspective, as a form of misdirected thinking or avoidant cognition. The brain isn’t thinking “too much”; instead, it’s ignoring (UNDERthinking) how it’s allocating cognitive resources to peripheral concerns, distractions, or imagined scenarios, rather than addressing the task directly.
When someone procrastinates, they aren’t giving adequate attention (i.e., UNDERthinking) to the aspects of the task that require deliberate focus, planning, or problem-solving. Instead of addressing the root issue (the task at hand), they fail to realize the value of taking the next step. The core problem remains an insufficient depth of thinking about what matters most.
What’s colloquially labeled as “overthinking” is really a misnomer for poorly directed or incomplete thinking. It’s not about thinking too much; it’s about thinking inefficiently or ineffectively. Hence, UNDERthinking.
I’ve never met anyone who thinks too much; quite the opposite, always!
I use this all the time at school. Often, I find myself scattered somewhere between brainstorming in my mind and brainstorming on paper. So I will give myself the space to write for a bit and get all my ideas out, take a look at my task again and then I'm set for the long haul. 10 seconds is a bit too short for me, I'm more of a 5-10 minute type person!
Absolutely fantastic information. It is easy to forget these tips that we may have learned of in the past. This is a great opportunity to reset and go. Life is all about relearning what you think you are so sure of.
I’ve been putting off a large project for months. This is exactly what I needed to hear!
Great info to live by! Wish I had come across this back when I was living in the world of employment. Could have used this direction. Now that I’m retired overthinking isn’t an issue, it’s thinking in general!
Yes, 10 seconds is the perfect time limit to decide and begin. I'm going to start writing notes every day here. I have everything I need, and lots of pre-prepared handwritten notes too on Post-Its. It should be easy.
Great ideas.
This is so good! I've often used the 2 minute rule, but 10 seconds makes it sound way more doable! Thanks for this.
This is so true !
I literally started doing this a week ago. I didn't know it was 'The 10-Second Hack', just something I had learned along my mental health journey. IT WORKS!
I feel like overthinking is your biggest opponent. Like you're playing mental ping-pong, but the ball never lands. This post gets it: the magic isn't in having the perfect plan—it’s in taking the first step. That’s the move most of us underestimate, especially when life feels unpredictable or overwhelming.
This applies to more than projects or goals—it’s a game-changer in relationships too. When you’re dealing with a partner whose behavior keeps you guessing, it’s easy to get stuck in the ‘what-if’ loop.
What if I say the wrong thing?
What if it backfires?
Clarity doesn’t come from overthinking—it comes from action. A single gesture, a thoughtful word, or even a moment of vulnerability can shift the entire dynamic.
Think of it like a reset button for the emotional chaos. It’s not about fixing everything at once; it’s about showing up in the now and creating momentum.
And here’s the kicker: when you start small—whether in your career, your personal life, or your relationship—it’s like giving your brain a win.
That win creates the energy to keep going.
These tips really help me a lot to get rid of overthinking!!!
Actually, after 30+ years in private practice and a pair of Ph.D.s in psychology I’ve discovered OVERthinking (i.e., thinking TOO much) doesn’t exist.
It’s actually UNDERthinking which is ignoring important aspects of a situation 😉
We can think FAST and shallow or SLOW and deep.
UNDERthinking is the former which leaves us being unaware of our existence information that may be useful.
As a veteran clinician, I’ve met so many that UNDERthink. I’ve never met, after encountering many thousands of patients and coaching clients, any who have thought TOO much.
The big idea with this is that people don't associate procrastination as a form of underthinking. They overthink about other things in an attempt to delay thinking about the priority task. In their paradigm, they 'think-procrastinate' about everything surrounding the situation or task rather than thinking actively about that task.
Interesting that you mention Procrastination. Give this short article a look that I composed just the other day on magnusson32.substack
https://open.substack.com/pub/magnusson32/p/wait-a-minute?r=17wbfd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Thank you for the thoughtful response. I agree that procrastination often involves avoiding active engagement with a priority task.
However, what you describe as “overthinking” is better understood, from a clinical perspective, as a form of misdirected thinking or avoidant cognition. The brain isn’t thinking “too much”; instead, it’s ignoring (UNDERthinking) how it’s allocating cognitive resources to peripheral concerns, distractions, or imagined scenarios, rather than addressing the task directly.
When someone procrastinates, they aren’t giving adequate attention (i.e., UNDERthinking) to the aspects of the task that require deliberate focus, planning, or problem-solving. Instead of addressing the root issue (the task at hand), they fail to realize the value of taking the next step. The core problem remains an insufficient depth of thinking about what matters most.
What’s colloquially labeled as “overthinking” is really a misnomer for poorly directed or incomplete thinking. It’s not about thinking too much; it’s about thinking inefficiently or ineffectively. Hence, UNDERthinking.
I’ve never met anyone who thinks too much; quite the opposite, always!
Let's do it guys. Break a leg.
Well said. How much time do we waste thinking about things!
Yes
Yes, one step builds momentum