How do I stop overthinking everything?

Question

I get stuck in my head constantly. I’ll think through every option, every risk, every possible outcome, and it still feels like I haven’t figured it out. It makes it hard to take action or feel confident in anything.

Answer 1

Overthinking feels productive—until it isn’t.

It tells you, “If I just think through every angle, every risk, every outcome, then I’ll finally feel ready.” But readiness doesn’t come from thinking. It comes from moving.

As an executive functioning coach and academic strategist, I’ve worked with students, professionals, and perfectionists who get stuck in these mental loops. Many are high-achieving. Many have ADHD. All of them care deeply—but their brain is working overtime to avoid uncertainty.

Here’s the truth:

Clarity doesn’t come before action. It comes because of it.

I teach a method called Anchor – Act – Adjust to disrupt the overthinking spiral:

1. Anchor

Define one meaningful outcome. Not five. Not ten. Just one.

What really matters right now?

2. Act

Take one small action that moves you toward that anchor.

It doesn’t need to be perfect. Just forward.

Momentum beats mastery in the beginning.

3. Adjust

Pause, reflect, and recalibrate.

What worked? What needs to shift?

Real clarity lives on the other side of doing.

Overthinking is not a flaw.

It’s a pattern. And patterns can be redesigned—with structure, intention, and practice.

You don’t need more analysis.

You need a next step—and permission to take it.

Start small. Stay kind to yourself.

That’s how forward begins.

Answer 2

Overthinking is a trap that is easy to fall into. Often, it's the result of trying to do too many things at once and trying to manage all the input from all the places all the time. It's exhausting!

That said, congratulations for recognizing that tendency in yourself! Self-awareness is, in fact, the first step to changing this habit.

The next step is to focus on your desired outcome. What does that mean? In simple terms, it means to define your "target". Decide what success will look like in your situation - is it a particular grade? is it a promotion at work? etc.

Once you do that, you have a starting point (where you are right now) and a destination (your desired outcome). So, the next step is to identify the things you need to do to get from one to the other. Think of the process like the directions on a GPS. List all the things that need to happen in the order they need to happen.

Then, do the first thing on that list. Address any issues that may arise and move to the next thing on the list. Continue thinking about the NEXT STEP only until you have completed all of them and reached your goal.

At that point, you move to the next destination and repeat the process.

Answer 3

Overthinking feels like you’re solving something, but it usually just burns you out. It’s a way of trying to avoid mistakes or uncertainty, but it doesn’t give you the clarity you’re hoping for. I’ve been there too.

A lot of people with ADHD or anxiety fall into this. You want to make the right choice, so your brain keeps running in circles looking for the perfect answer. But most of the time, clarity only comes once you’ve started doing the thing. Not before.

If you keep spiraling, you probably don’t need more thinking. You probably need to take a step, see how it feels, and adjust from there. That’s where the real information comes from.