No°02 • Jul 25, 2025
How to do more with less time.
As humans, we think a lot.
I’d wager we think more than we do any other activity.
But that makes sense, right? We depend on thinking for survival.
But here’s the secret: 50% or more of your thinking doesn’t result in action.
And if thinking doesn’t lead to action or change, it’s pretty much useless.
This is how to regain your thoughts and instead focus on action-based thinking.
Overthinking vs. Deep Thinking: What’s the Difference?
Overthinking and deep thinking are both acts of focused thought.
The difference? One is directed and one isn’t.
What I mean by that is that deep thinking is finding a solution to a problem by directing focused thought to a specific purpose.
Overthinking is simply deep thought, but the ideas aren’t directed.
It’s pretty much thinking all over the place.
The issue is that because there is only one difference between deep thinking and overthinking, they can easily get mixed up.
The solution is to simply ask, “Are my thoughts directed to solving a specific problem or idea?”
Now, this won’t cover 100% of scenarios, but it works for most.
Why You Probably Shouldn’t Overthink
Overthinking is defined as jumping around the problem without a general direction.
It’s thinking without purpose.
The reason this lack of purpose is bad is because instead of making progress on an idea, you are mushing around a problem and aren’t actually trying to solve it.
You are just wasting brain-related resources that could be used for other activities.
Overthinking has all the costs of deep thinking (and some more), but none of the benefits.
It drains your energy
It uses up space and time
It paralyzes action
Deep thinking, on the other hand, can give you a clear path forward, help you resolve anxiety and other negative emotions and states, and is just fun to do.
But how do you notice you are overthinking and begin to break the habit?
How to think deeply
Deep thinking is pretty easy to do.
Most people have done it before in their lives.
What’s difficult is remaining in deep thought and not getting caught up in “side quests”.
So what’s the trick?
Well, it’s quite simple actually.
Before you begin a thought session, if you will, you set a goal.
What do I want to achieve with this session?
It’s extremely simple, but is absolutely revolutionary to intentionally start a deep thought session.
So what should you do if you begin mushing around an idea?
Step back. Ask:
What is the idea I’m overthinking?
Are there any actual problems, or am I making things up?
If there are problems, do they matter for the goal I set?
With these questions you should be able to move on from the idea and continue your deep thought.
It’s important to remember the goal of deep thought isn’t to think less, but to make better use of the time spent thinking.
It’s something that demands practice, but can be mastered eventually.
See you on the next one.
-Luke
