On Overthinking and Intuition

Getting unstuck.

Overthinking is a delicious way to procrastinate. When we’re doing it, we’re in denial that we’re procrastinating. We’re too busy thinking to identify with the stigma of being “lazy” or “afraid.” We focus on things with little consequence while avoiding the things with real consequences.

Image: Stephanie Sunberg for Maria Stanley

People like advice on how to stay ahead of the trend. I love to talk about it. To tango with the design zeitgeist is a joy! Because it’s all about intuition. Being out front of the trends means tuning in and sticking your neck out. Some trends evolve into shifts that change cultural norms. Others are here to delight for a moment in time.

This “knowing” what to do next—the sense a shift is coming—is something I’ve been in touch with all my life. I could tap into it freely as a kid. I knew my six-grade class would want tie-dyed tees and peace frogs on their trapper keepers before they became hallmarks of a late 90s middle school experience.

You can only tune into “knowing” because it comes from within us. It will not be controlled. It moves like a cat and requires full autonomy. It is an inner compass for life, with a life of its own.

I lost the ability to hear and sense this compass for a time. When I’m desperate to control it, I search for it, and my mind runs amok. The harder I try, the more lost I feel.

From 2017 to 2020 (when we bought our current house), this “knowing” alluded me. I was sharing design decisions in real time and found it eroded all sense of enjoyment. I was second-guessing things I had never bothered to worry about before. My private creative process was incompatible with the public sphere for reasons that still flummox me, and subsequently, my intuition darted out the back door.

I went into “fix it” mode. Overwhelmed and furious, I clambered around the dark spaces of my mind, looking for that quiet voice that spoke so clearly without words. Instead, I found voices of every well-intentioned comment I had received that day. The volume was on high, I had lost control of my inner narrative, and everyone was talking simultaneously.

Today, I want to talk about overthinking, intuition, and how to find the courage to take action when it presents itself while also letting go. Buckle up.

We’ll discuss:

1. Overthinking as inaction and lack of self-trust.

2. How to overcome decision fatigue.

3. The differences between intuition and impulse

4. Ways to sharpen your intuitive knowing.