Hours of thinking that don't go anywhere
It costs you sleep
Justin describes nights where it took him 2, 3, even 4 hours to fall asleep. Most of that time wasn't real problem solving. It was the same few thoughts on repeat.
It isn't harmless
That looping has a name, rumination. Justin points to research linking unchecked rumination to depression and anxiety. So it's not just wasted time.
The obvious fix doesn't work
If the problem were too much thinking, the fix would be to think less. But you can't just switch thoughts off, and the thinking itself was never the problem.
The problem isn't how much you think. It's what you think about. Change that, and the same time starts going somewhere.
One core idea, a loop, and two ways out
Click any box to see what it is, why it matters, and how it connects to the others.
It's the wrong thinking, not too much
Why this comes firstHow you name the problem decides what you try. Call it “too much thinking” and you try to stop, which doesn't work. Call it “thinking about the wrong things” and you have something you can actually do: point your thinking somewhere else.
Justin's description of his own sleepless nights is the key detail. His brain wasn't solving anything. It was running the same few thoughts in circles, as if thinking the same thing again would lead to a new conclusion.
That's rumination: going over the same ground again and again and expecting something new. Notice what's missing. It isn't effort or time. It's any new input. Loop the same thoughts and you'll get the same answers.
Swap endless questions for answerable ones
Why it mattersSome questions have no answer you can ever be sure of. Ask one of those and your brain keeps going back to it, second-guessing every answer it finds. Ask a question that has a reasonable answer, and you can answer it and move on.
- Why did this happen to me again?
- Why did this person do that to me?
- What's the best decision? What if it goes wrong?
- What can and can't I control here?
- What specifically am I worried about?
- What's the real outcome I want?
- What could I do that would give me more clarity?
The difference isn't whether a question is about something big or small. It's whether you need certainty to answer it. With endless questions, there's no definite answer, and even when you reach one you can't be sure it's true. Concrete questions don't need certainty. As Justin puts it, their answers are “just sensible, logical steps in any situation.”
“Often, seeking certainty is an impossible game to win, because certainty does not exist in the first place.”
Two details are easy to miss:
- Starting abstract is fine. “Why did this happen?” is a natural first reaction. The problem is staying there when it isn't giving you more clarity.
- The four questions build on each other. Control narrows the field, the specific worry names the real problem, the outcome gives you a direction, and the clarity question turns all of it into a next step.
Overthinking is often avoidance
Why it mattersIf you believe your overthinking is you being responsible, you'll defend it. Seeing it as avoidance explains why you keep doing it: it feels like working on the problem, without making you face the part that's uncomfortable.
Justin calls this an uncomfortable truth he had to accept: his overthinking wasn't about being productive, being responsible, or “doing the right thing.” It was avoidance.
He points to research that treats repetitive thinking as an avoidance mechanism. It lets you feel like you're “untangling the mess” without actually getting into the specific, uncomfortable, actionable parts of it.
That's why the concrete questions from the last section help. They aim straight at the specific and actionable parts, which are exactly what the loop lets you avoid.
Decide what “enough” thinking is
Why it mattersA loop with no end point can run all night. If you decide what conclusion would let you stop, you can tell when you've reached it, and when more thinking won't get you there.
Some industries call this the Definition of Done: the point where any more thinking is no longer productive or useful. Justin gets there with three questions:
- Why do I keep thinking about this? This is where you catch avoidance.
- What conclusion do I feel I need to reach before I can stop? This names the finish line.
- Is it realistic to actually reach that conclusion? If not, what do I need to do to make progress? This is where certainty-seeking gets caught, because a conclusion like “I'm sure it won't go wrong” can never be reached.
The third question connects back to the concrete questions. When the honest answer is “no, I can't reach that by thinking,” the next move is an action, the same kind of step as “what could I do that gives me more clarity?”
Use it, don't just remember it
Six situations. Each answer links back to the section it comes from.
How it fits together
Endless questions keep the loop running, and avoidance makes the loop feel worth staying in. Concrete questions give your thinking something it can finish, and a Definition of Done tells you when it's finished.
Ask something answerable
- What can and can't I control?
- What specifically am I worried about?
- What's the real outcome I want?
- What could I do that gives me more clarity?
Check your Definition of Done
- Why do I keep thinking about this?
- What conclusion do I need to reach to stop?
- Is that realistic? If not, what do I need to do to make progress?