Are you stuck in analysis paralysis, trying to decide what product to create next, what email marketing software to use, what coaching programme to invest in?
When I was still training to become a coach, I was in a group programme with an incredibly talented woman (let’s call her Jess) who, week after week, asked the same question: “What should my niche be?”
We all knew what niche Jess should have picked. Every time she mentioned it, her face lit up. But, it was such a narrow niche so few coaches were serving, that she doubted she could be successful in it. What if there just weren’t enough clients?
Those doubts got her to explore other niches that, on paper, looked more lucrative. But, no matter how much market research she did in each niche, how many people she spoke to, or how many coaching sessions she had, Jess was still confused.
Jess convinced herself that she couldn’t make a decision because she didn’t have enough information. She didn’t want to be rash and start the wrong business. In reality, she has enough information and was just afraid of making the wrong choice.
Analysis paralysis is a sneaky form of procrastination. Sometimes, you do need to do more research, gather more information, or sleep on it for a couple of days before taking action.
So, when you start going round in circles, thinking the same thoughts in your head over and over for weeks on end, you think you’re just doing your due diligence. In reality, you’re stuck and getting further away from your goals each day.
How do you overcome analysis paralysis and finally make the decisions that allow you to move forward and reach your goals – without stress and worry?
What Is Analysis Paralysis?
Analysis paralysis is the inability to make a delicious due to constant overthinking. You do your research. Weight all the pros and cons of every single option. Ask for recommendations. Analyse the data. But, you have so many options to choose from and so much information about all of them, you’re too overwhelmed to make a decision.
Examples Of Analysis Paralysis In Business
Here are a few examples of how analysis paralysis shows up in your business:
- You don’t even start your business because you don’t know what niche to pick!
- You’re wondering what product you should create next.
- You spend hours researching every single email marketing software.
- You’ve created an amazing online course but can’t decide which platform to upload it to.
- You’ve outgrown your hosting provider, but have no idea where to move to next. There are just too many options!
- You’re jumping from one business strategy to another because you have no idea what will work, so you’re dabbling a bit into everything.
- You keep talking to your coach about a decision you need to make, but you never make it.
How many of these resonate with you?
How Does Analysis Paralysis Happen?
It’s a paradox, but the more options humans have, the harder it is to make a decision – even when it comes to something simple as buying jam. In 2000, scientists Sheena S. Iyengar and Mark R. Lepper conducted an experiment on analysis paralysis.
They asked one group to choose between 24 different flavours of jam and the second group to choose between 6. Only 3% in the first group bought jam – and most of them regretted or questioned their chose. In the second group, 30% of participants bought the jam – without regretting their decision.
The result? The more options you have, the more anxiety you experience when making a decision – and the more likely you are to question it.
The higher the stakes, the higher the anxiety you experience. If you buy a jar of jam you don’t like, you’ve wasted a few pounds. If you pick the wrong niche, you could be spending years (and a lot of money) building a business that will never work for you.
By procrastinating on making any decision, your mind keeps you safe from making mistakes. But, in so doing, it also keeps you from reaching your goals.
What Causes Analysis Paralysis?
Anyone can experience analysis paralysis. But, what sets successful entrepreneurs who can make decisions in minutes apart from the struggling ones who take weeks (if not months or years) to make the same decisions? Here’s what makes you more likely to experience analysis paralysis:
- Fear of failure: If you were often criticised for your “mistakes” as a child, you won’t feel safe to make a decision.
- Lack of confidence: You don’t trust you have what it takes to make the right decision or you believe you lack the ability to implement that decision, so you don’t make one at all.
- People pleasing: If you know the right choice for you will upset others, you won’t make it.
- Perfectionism: Wanting every little detail to be 100% right can make it impossible to make a decision.
- Rigid thinking: If you think in terms of black or white, good or bad, all or nothing, you’ll struggle to make decisions that don’t fit neatly into any category.
How Analysis Paralysis Sabotages Your Business
Analysis paralysis is a form of self-sabotage. It tricks you into thinking you’re doing something productive to reach your goals, when in reality, it distracts you and keeps you from ever achieving them.
At the root of is fear. Take Jess, for example. She knew what her niche was. But she was afraid that this work would trigger old wounds. She was afraid of being vulnerable and sharing her personal experiences. She was afraid of being a trailblazer in this new niche. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get clients and make the money she wanted to make.
By staying stuck in analysis paralysis, she wouldn’t have to face these fears. Analysis paralysis kept her safe in her comfort zone. It also kept her stuck and broke. All those months she was stuck in analysis paralysis, she didn’t make any money. She didn’t make an impact in anyone’s life. She didn’t even get peace of mind. Heck, she was wondering if she should get a job to make ends meet!
Jess couldn’t have been further away from where she wanted to be…
How To Overcome Analysis Paralysis
Here’s what I do to overcome analysis paralysis every time I get stuck in it:
Step 1: Limit The Amount Of Information
It’s so tempting to think that, if only you had more information, you’d be able to make the right decision on the spot. And so, you read 100 articles comparing all the different business models to find out what offer to create next, ask all the entrepreneurs you know how they’ve reached 6-figures, and email your entrepreneurial friends for advice.
But instead of the magic formula for making the right decision, you now have 100 different opinions of what you should do… and you’re feeling more confused than ever! I’m all for doing your research so you know exactly what you’re getting into, best practices, and common pitfalls to avoid. But, without boundaries, research can turn into analysis paralysis pretty fast.
TAKE ACTION NOW
Here’s how to do research the smart way – a way that helps you overcome analysis paralysis and leads you into clarity:
- Ask specific questions: What’s the end result you have in mind and what do you specifically need to know to make a decision? Let’s say you want to add a new branch to your current business. Are you interested in a product-based business or in a service-based business? A niche business or a multi-passionate business? The more specific questions you ask, the more useful the answers will be.
- Ask the pros: I’ll tell you a secret. Anyone can write anything online, even if they have 0 practical experience on the topic. And your friends mean well, but if they’ve never built a business (or done whatever else you need clarity on), they won’t have the answer, either. Once you know exactly what you want to achieve, find people who did it and ask them for advice. Everything else is just noise.
- Set a deadline: You can get stuck in research mode forever if you don’t set yourself a deadline. It could be reading blog articles for one hour. Or talking to 3 people within a week. Go crazy with research during that period, but then force yourself to make a decision. You have enough information, trust me.
Related: How To Overcome Self-Doubt
Step 2: Get Out Of Your Head And Into Your Body
Did you know you’re not supposed to make decisions with your head? I know, that’s not what you’ve been taught. The brain is the decision-making organ and all that… But then… how come every time you make a sensible decision, you’re… unsatisfied?
Here’s the truth: the heart is the real-decision maker. The brain comes in later to find the best way to execute on that decision. Let me explain.
Your brain is designed to keep you safe. It uses the past to predict your future. If you’ve never done something before, your brain has no proof you will succeed. It also has no proof you will fail, by the way. But, by focusing on the worst case scenario, it scares you back into the safety of your comfort zone – right where it wants you.
Your heart has a different type of intelligence. Your heart doesn’t know fear. It doesn’t care if something’s popular, if you’re good enough, how much money you could make from it… Your heart only cares whether something is right for YOU. It cares about your desires. It cares about you fulfilling your potential, creating your dream business, living the life you desire to live.
When a decision feels right in your heart, don’t let your brain talk you out of it. Make the decision with your heart and, only after you’ve said yes to your desire, bring the brain in to figure out the how, so you can achieve your goal without anything really bad happening in the process.
TAKE ACTION NOW
When making a decision, forget about what your mind is telling you. Instead, pay attention to how it feels in your body:
- Does it feel right in your heart? Does it give you butterflies? Does it feel exciting (if a little scary, too)? Say yes to it.
- Do you feel like something’s off? Say no. If your heart isn’t on board, you’re going to regret it – no matter how sensible it seems to your mind.
Related: How To Stop Talking Yourself Out Of Your Goals
Step 3: Take (Any) Action
So, you’ve done your research and checked in with your body, but you’re still confused on what decision to take or what the first step towards it is? The only antidote I know to confusion is taking action – any action.
Marie Forleo said it better: “Clarity comes from engagement, not thought.” You can drive yourself crazy thinking about what action to take or what idea to pursue, but you’ll never know if it’s the right one until you try it.
The truth is, you can’t choose wrong. Every decision takes you to the right answer. How? Action gives you instant feedback. If you picked the wrong thing, you can ditch it and try something else. If you make a mistake, you can fix it.
Take Jess, for example. Even if she had chosen a safer niche to begin in, she soon would have got the feel that this wasn’t it and tweaked her message to attract the right clients – all the while getting paid for testing her idea and building her business!
The only bad decision is not to do anything at all. When you do nothing, you’re choosing to stay stuck in analysis paralysis forever.
TAKE ACTION NOW
What’s the first step you need to take to reach your goal? Make your decision – any decision – and take action on it now. It doesn’t matter what you choose. It only matters that you do it and get feedback on it.
Related: How To Use Failure To Reach Your Goals
Wrapping It Up
Analysis paralysis is a form of self-sabotage. You think you’re being smart and taking the time to make the right decision. In reality, you’re staying stuck where you are, making no progress at all towards your goals. The key to overcome analysis paralysis is to do your research the smart way, trust your heart, and take the first step. You can’t make the wrong choice. Every decision will take you closer to your goal.
Are you an overwhelmed female entrepreneur, coach, or service-based provider ready to break through your current plateau and reach your next income level?
I invite you to join The Leadership Advantage, a proven system to break up with your subconscious success blocks, so you can go from overwhelmed to overbooked – without trying yet another marketing strategy.
1️⃣ First, identify and break through the subconscious success block that keeps you stuck in overwhelm, so you can finally increase your income while reducing your workload – and be able to take time off with your family without feeling guilty. 🚀
2️⃣ Then, we put the mindset work in practice with a set of high-performance tools and habits to transform your identity, so you can attract higher-paying clients and opportunities that match the next level version of yourself – without sacrificing more of your personal life.💰
3️⃣ Finally, we create a game plan so you know the exact steps to take each day to reach your next income level, feel confident and in control of your business – no more getting distracted by new shiny tactics. 💪
Ready to Break Free? Click below and let’s make it happen!
Let’s unlock your next level of success together.
add a comment
+ COMMENTS