When you’re launching your side hustle, while still teaching full-time, you have to make sure you’re not spending too much time overanalyzing business decisions.
Is overanalyzing really that bad?
Isn’t spending time thinking about each decision a sign of a savvy business owner who knows the importance of making careful decisions?
Well – yes and no!
Making good decisions IS a wonderful skill to have – so yes. Decision making is a remarkable trait that should be found in a successful business owner.
Good decisions are how we get things done so our business continues to grow.
But let’s focus on the No!
What is the one of the things that holds people back from accomplishing things in their life that they really want (or need) to do?
Overanalyzing everything (and Char is guilty as charged!).
It can range from overthinking every little problem until it becomes a much larger perceived problem, to breaking a problem down so far that a decision that seemed positive, now becomes a negative thing that we talk ourselves out of doing for our business.
Now how does this work out for us?
This tendency affects our ability to enjoy the journey of building a business. We spend less time growing and more time overanalyzing everything we need to do to ACTUALLY build the business.
The result – we end up doing nothing – but staying stuck right where we are.
In no way am I saying that taking time to think about your business is bad. It is not. It makes sense to think things through so we have all our bases covered. We know exactly what we need to do to follow through on a project.
But overanalyzing every task? The only thing we can expect is no decision and no follow-through for our business.
So let’s look at four ways to overcome this problem.
1) Look at things from a wider perspective
Before deciding anything or counting something out, ask yourself how(or if) it will matter in 5 years from now or even in a few weeks. If it is something that is short-lived, avoid overthinking and just do it!
2) Limit the time to make decisions
Allowing yourself an unlimited amount of time to come to a decision may result in no decision at all. For small decisions, limit the decision time to 30 seconds or less; for larger decisions, allow 30 minutes to a few hours depending on the scope and importance of the decision.
Setting a time limit motivates you to decide and move on to implementation.
3) Reduce Stress
Start your day on a positive note. It sets the tone for the rest of the day. Make sure you have a solid morning routine.
Break down larger tasks into smaller chunks. If you’re like me, you are probably great at seeing the big picture, and you dive right in – only to discover the project is bigger than you thought.
Baby steps – work on the task in smaller chunks.
Take regular breaks to clear your mind. When the break is over and it’s back to work, your outlook will usually be more positive.
Avoid information overload. Have a schedule for when you will check and respond to emails throughout the day, another for time to be spent on social media, and turn off unnecessary notifications while working on a project.
If you don’t, you will get to the end of your workday and find that you’ve spent most of your time dealing with everything but the essentials tasks you need to grow your business.
Plan the next day’s schedule before leaving work. You will wake up already organized, less stressed, and ready to spend time on tasks that grow your business, instead of spinning your wheels each day.
4) Realize and Accept That You Can’t Control Everything
Stop trying to do everything yourself. You can’t do everything anyway.
Spend your valuable time dealing with the things you can control and avoid wasting time on the uncontrollable. You have enough on your plate when growing a business and teaching full-time.
You will only end up frustrated because of wasted time that did nothing for your business.
So, making well thought out decisions for our business – Yes!
Overanalyzing everything with the end reward being analysis paralysis?
Not in your business!
