In order to be productive, you need to be doing a lot of things.

I used to believe this was the case, but I was wrong. Slowing down and doing less actually makes you more productive.

Think of your mind like a web browser. The more tabs you have open, the more memory and energy is used up. If you open more tabs during your “rest” time (e.g looking at the news) you are just opening more tabs.

Embracing boredom during your rest time will help you focus more when its time to work. You might find you get more done in less time.

I have a lot of practice and learning to do on this. Switching off from my phone more is my first step.

I’m not great at finishing stuff.

This is one of the reasons I’m a better leader/manager than I am an IC. My strength is in thinking, coming up with ideas and designing an approach to tackle a problem.

Being good at outlining an idea and enabling teams to execute around that idea is a positive leadership quality. So, being bad at finishing stuff is actually an asset.

Think about that for a minute.

What “weaknesses” do you have that you can turn into strengths?

Quick tip for speaking in front of people for overthinking introverts.

It’s often said that it’s helpful to do a lot of preparation and practice when writing a talk, presentation or speech. This can be helpful, but it can also be a hindrance.

Over-preparation (in my opinion) can lead to anxiety around the content of your talk. Having a strong grasp of the topic and some notes might serve you better.

Disclaimer: this is my own experience as an overthinker. Results may vary.