When overthinking turned superpower is too much
I gotta admit - I overthink. It wouldn't be a problem if I did as much as I spend time thinking. But thinking, or overthinking, is another procrastinating excuse of mine.
I used to think that my overly analytical approach was not the problem, but that my use of flaws was just flawed!
If you're going to overthink, aim to break down your work into doable chunks.
Sometimes plans ruin all the fun
I used to gather all sorts of stuff: books/e-books, series/movies, video games for later. If they're all gathered in one place - be it my Amazon Kindle, any streaming service, or Steam - it might become an overwhelming list.
Some time ago, I had to switch to a different e-book reader. But this time, I decided to do one thing differently. Instead of uploading all the ebooks I have, I uploaded two. One fiction and one non-fiction. To limit my choices and to improve my focus. And it worked!
It’s impossible to achieve the same on streaming services or Steam-likes. I have to use all sorts of filters: release date, length, MoSCoW's, pair comparison methods, etc.
But these always produce a plan. And even when the plan is broken into tasks, it introduces the risk of becoming boring once I finish task number 2. Like it’s not stimulating enough when it’s planned.
Maybe it is the same with projects?
A big, detailed roadmap loses the fun.
And since it's not my day job, but my hobby project, this is an important issue. How not to lose focus due to thinking too much ahead.
I gotta admit, ever since I bought the type-folio for my remarkable tablet (not an affiliated link), my focus improved when I'm writing texts. Maybe it's because of the limited access to the Internet (you can mostly send your texts to your e-mail address, downloading is if you have a subscription that allows Dropbox or Google Drive integration), or maybe because ALT+TAB is not working1 😉
If only it were that easy when programming and making games. Not only are social media designed for you to doomscroll and waste time. So is Windows. You can do everything on it; the problem is deciding on what to focus on. I tried with workspaces to achieve some focus, but I'm now unable to return to that method (a very specific flaw of mine - I might return to the method, in a year, for a month, maybe).
Sure, I can disconnect from the Internet. That will work for a moment. Then I will need to learn something from Stack Overflow or my Copilot - Chad G. Petey. How long will I be able to stay disconnected? I don't know.
Or maybe... that's the point?
How much can you do with a disconnected laptop?
Then finish by noting what state you are in, what blocked you, connect to the Internet, research your problem, and prepare this way for the next session.
I admit, this idea would be as hard to implement as cold showers.
Here’s a fun thing I want to try out: disable ALT+TAB on Windows 11 😁