The difference between thinking and overthinking

Overcoming analysis paralysis

Author

PJ Milani
September 26, 2023

Presented by

🤔 INTERESTING

The difference between thinking and overthinking. Stay sharp!

📐 DESIGN

If you don’t already have a sketchbook, consider starting one.

PRO TIP: Use the same notebook to sketch and journal. Written insights inspire visual insights and vice versa.

Law of Ideation

Take your idea and make it real, no matter how rough. The final step is only attainable by taking the first step.

“The Laws of Creativity” by Joey Cofone (highly recommend this book)

One of my favorite creative practices is sketching visual strategies.

What’s a visual strategy? 
It’s how an artist solves an idea problem with a visual solution.

For instance, the visual strategy below from the talented Wang Wei-Shen shows a possible solution to the problem: what happens when you cross a threshold.

Initial capture in my notebook. You might be able to see echoes of my journaling on the other side of the page.

This sketch ended up motivating the visual below on the left, which then iterated to the version on the right.

But you know what’s funny?

I only realized this sketch was the source of inspiration months later. It burned into my subconscious image bank without my knowing. That’s the power of a strong capture habit.

Creative output is fueled by creative input.

Quit sending emails like a dinosaur.

It’s the year 2023 and all the top newsletters are using beehiiv.

beehiiv was created by the same early Morning Brew employees who scaled their daily email to over 4 million subscribers. And now every newsletter on beehiiv has access to the same tools and winning formula.

So what exactly does beehiiv offer?

  • World-class growth tools like the referral program and recommendation network

  • Monetization via the beehiiv Ad Network and premium subscriptions (i.e. beehiiv helps you get paid)

  • Seamless content creation with a sleek collaborative editor

  • Best-in-class inbox deliverability of 98.7%

  • Oh and it’s the most affordable by a mile…

Take your newsletter to the next level — get started for free.

🔮 ENCHANTING 

Spend your time making impacts that last.

🧠 ANALOGY

The Lines in Sand Effect:
A simple mental model to get past overthinking and the fear of making decisions.

Any time I’ve had to make a choice where I recognize I’m procrastinating because of the fear of making a mistake, I imagine this metaphor.

I’ve done this to decide:

  • niches

  • type of clients I serve

  • tech platforms

  • even habits & routines

It comforts me to remind myself these decisions aren’t set it stone.

Rate this week's newsletter:

Your feedback helps shape the best visual newsletter possible.

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Say hi 👋🏻 on Twitter or LinkedIn

If you'd like to join the 12,496 subscribers getting Visual I.D.E.A.s straight into their inbox, subscribe below:

Thanks for reading! Reply any time with feedback or questions.

I made this newsletter with beehiiv, my favorite tool for easily creating and growing a newsletter.

When you’re ready, I’ve built a course to teach Thinking in Visual Metaphors: Join the Waiting List

*By making a purchase through any of our affiliate links, we receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us on our mission to provide quality visuals and education. Thank you for your support!

Reply

or to participate.