The human mind is amazing. We can’t function without it and need it for our survival. We learn and remember what to do and what not to do through experience and example. You learn the first time that touching a hot object isn’t desirable, so next time you avoid it.
The average person converses with themselves in their mind going over day to day doings, past events, and their future. This is normal and is called introspection. When does introspection cross the line and clutter our productivity? When we over think and create a flurry of noise in our mind, we effectively place a roadblock in the way to reach a goal.
While on a jog recently, I was milling over the day’s happenings, concerns over the timing on a project I had been working on for some time, and what I would do the next day to hopefully get up to speed. Then flashes of obligations flew into my mind. I need to be at this dinner on this day, and to call and check in with a family member to see how life is going. The thoughts began to consume me. My run was feeling uncomfortable.
I realized that my shoulders were tense, and I was watching the pavement roll by as I jogged with my head down. My breathing was heavy, and I felt pressured. I thought to myself, exercise is supposed to release tension, not build it! That is when I stopped in my tracks. Literally.
As I looked forward and up towards the sky, I realized that I was clearly over thinking and it was the cause of my “uncomfortable run”.
Have you ever over thought something? It starts off as a small thought, nagging in your mind, and it slowly starts to consume your thoughts and cause you to run it over and over again, not coming to a plausible solution.
This is when your thoughts have crossed the line. Not the finish line, but the line between being truly productive, and putting up a roadblock to productivity. Roadblocks, or hurdles, can be jumped, but when they don’t need to be there in the first place, why put them there?
How to deal with it
After realizing that I was deep dive thinking and sinking into a hole that seemed abysmal, I shut off the valve. Someone once told me that you can use a picture in your mind to help put away a thought to deal with later.
Think of a Tupperware container visually in your mind and collect those thoughts you want to deal with later to concentrate on the present. Put them in the container and close the lid. Everyone has a different learning style and preference, what would you prefer?
After making the decision to stop over thinking and to focus on the present my jog became more pleasant. I watched the fall leaves slowly gliding to the ground from the branches of the surrounding trees. My breathing slowly became calmer and with every breath that I took my shoulders loosened and the pressure that I was feeling slipped away.
The effects of thought management
Making a decision to do anything is the first step. Putting it into action is the next. After making the decision to put off some of the nagging thoughts I had and to allow myself to enjoy the present moment, I felt rejuvenated after the jog and shortly thereafter I sat down to take a few notes and the solutions I had been looking for began pouring in, and there was hardly any effort at all to map out a plan to bring up to speed and finish in time the project that I was concerned about.
A productive life is a healthy life. There are countless books, articles, and magazines written on the subject, but sometimes all it takes is to put a little time aside for yourself to think constructively. Over thinking can be destructive to your productivity, so place the thoughts aside, clear your mind and get back on the path to productivity.
(photo credit: p2-r2)